


take me home

by emilia_kaisa



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/M, How Do I Tag, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Slow Burn, Unplanned Pregnancy, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7409782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilia_kaisa/pseuds/emilia_kaisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three weeks after an one night stand with a cute guy Daisy discovered that she was pregnant. Her life turned upside down but she was determined to work it out. But it would be nice to find the baby's father.<br/>aka<br/>Static Quake unplanned pregnancy fic no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If you ask me, don't know where to start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Its_just_a_moment](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_just_a_moment/gifts).



> Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't start a new multichapter fic when I have 3 or 4 still in progress but oh well, I'm irresponsible.  
> Warning: as always, weird grammar, lack of articles and a lot of typos. I'll fix them all, promise.  
> Title from 'Take me home' by Jess Glynne

 

They stumbled into his apartment, lips crashing and hands tangled in each other’s clothes. Daisy’s leg kicked something and when she pulled back to catch her breath she noticed that there was plenty of boxes on the floor and the whole placed looked pretty empty.

‘You just moved in?’ she mumbled against his mouth. Not that she cared.

‘Actually, I’m moving out.’ he said and she wondered briefly if he was changing a city or just an apartment? Even if he was moving to Slovenia, she didn’t care, really. All that mattered was that his kisses were hot and perfect and he still had a bed standing in his bedroom.

They made their way to his bed, clothes falling on the floor.

‘You know, you don’t have to run in the morning.’ he breathed out when she helped him get rid off his shirt ‘We can have breakfast or something.’

‘We can.’ Daisy agreed but the truth was she had no intention in doing that. She just wanted to get laid, she didn’t need breakfasts and nice talks. And she definitely didn’t need his words so she kissed him again and let them fall on the bed.

 

Daisy opened her eyes and his sleeping face was the first time she saw. He looked young and calm, and Daisy felt a bit warm inside. When she had spotted him at that bar she hadn’t had big expectations. She wasn’t sure how they ended up in his apartment but Daisy didn’t regret anything. He was great in bed, eager and not selfish, and all that Daisy needed in that moment. He had offered her breakfast, she remembered, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. He was a nice guy and if she was able to trust anyone maybe she would stay with him.

He said something in his sleep, a muffled word she couldn’t understand. He moved and his hand brushed her arm slightly and Daisy shivered. It started too feel too nice and too comfortable, and she almost didn’t want to go.

It was a sign that she had to leave.

Daisy slipped out of the bed as quietly as she could and started collecting her clothes. She dressed up quickly and, with shoes in her hand, she made her way to the door. She turned around and gave the sleeping man on more look. He was still sleeping peacefully and Daisy felt a sting of guilt next to her heart. If he had met him two years earlier maybe she wouldn’t be so afraid. Maybe she would stay and maybe she would let herself trust him. For a moment she imagined herself going back to the bed and curling up by his side. She imagined waking up and having breakfast, getting to know each other.

Daisy shook her head violetnly. She was better on her own. She left the apartment without any sound and put the shoes on.

She remembered that his name was Lincoln.

 

When Daisy reached her apartment it was barely after 7am but Jemma was already in the kitchen, sipping coffee and reading a ridicuously huge book. She gave Daisy a wide smile when she saw her.

‘You had a good night?’ she asked with a grin.

‘Good.’ Daisy admitted, pouring herself a cup of coffee ‘To be honest, it was pretty awesome.’

‘Good for you.’ Jemma’s voice was warm ‘Are you going to meet him again.’

Daisy shook her head and took a sip og her coffee.

‘No.’ she tried to ignore a quiet whisper of regret in the back of her head.

Jemma’s face changed for a moment into a sad understanding. She knew Daisy too well to push her into a relationship.

‘What are you doing up so early?’ Daisy asked; Jemma usually had afternoon or night shifts.

‘Things are a bit crazy in the hospital right now.’ Jemma sighed ‘We have some kind of baby boom, two doctors are now on a materity leave. Oh, and doctor Jenkins retired. It’s a lot of shift to cover.’

‘Poor you.’ Daisy said, suddenly glad that she could do most of her work at home.

‘I signed up for this when I started med school.’ Jemma said, standing up and grabbing her bag ‘See you tonight, Daisy.’

‘Bye!’

Daisy finished her coffee and decided that she could use a nap. To be honest, she hadn’t slept a lot and her whole body was still pleseantly tired. No that she cared. Maybe later she would make dinner; she wasn’t a great cook but she knew how to make something edible. She would prepare some pasta with vegetables, Jemma liked that dish.

Daisy went to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed, trying not to miss the heat of Lincoln’s body.

 

Jemma was back a few minutes before 7pm.

‘My feet are killing me.’ she exlaimed loudly, kicking her shoes off ‘I didn’t even have time to eat anything.’

‘What would you do without me?’ Daisy asked and Jemma rolled her eyes.

Ten minutes later the were sitting by a kitchen table, eating their pasta. It was surprisigly tasty, Daisy had to admit.

‘How was work? I got that you were pretty busy.’

‘It was a bloody nightmare.’ Jemma sighed ‘The new guy is pretty useful so we somehow made it but I hope we will get more people, we won’t be able to do it for too long.’

‘You’re my hero, Jem.’ Daisy said and Jemma chuckled. Daisy was saying the truth- she always admired Jemma for her work. It was amazing, how she devoted her life to saving lifes. Sometimes Daisy felt a bit bad that she was doing something more useful that creating games. Oh well, some people just were destined to do great things.

‘Fitz called.’ Jemma said and Daisy just had to grin ‘He’s coming over this Saturday, we can watch a movie or something.’

‘I was hoping he finally asked you on a date.’ Daisy said and she noticed with satiscaftion that Jemma blushed a little. She was waiting for them to get together for ages but they were taking it incredibly slowly. But Daisy knew someday they would do it and it would be epic.

 

 

Three weeks later Daisy woke up feeling dizzy and tired. She stumbled to the kitchen where she forced herself to eat a sandwich but her stomach didn’t hold it for too long. She probably caught a flu or something, not a big deal. She washed her face in cold water and then her eyes caught a sight of a small box on a shelf and Daisy froze. Oh no.

Daisy rushed to her bedroom and grabbed her phone, checking her calendar with shaking fingers.

Shit, shit, shit.

She wanted to scream, to yell, to kick something, but when she opened her mouth she started to cry. Teras were runnig down her face and she couldn’t catch a breath. It felt like the world was crumbling down on her head. She knew she couldn’t be sure in that moment but it didn’t take the feeling away.

‘Daisy, what...’ Jemma appeared, alarmed by her sobs; her face changed into concern when she saw her friend ‘Daisy, what’s wrong? What’s happening?’ she kneeled down next to Daisy and put a hand on her shoulder.

‘I... I think...’ Daisy said between sobs, her throat clenched ‘I think... I might be pregnant.’

‘Oh, Daisy.’ Jemma squeezed her arm gently ‘Calm down, okay? There’s no need for panic until we know for sure, right?’

Daisy nodded, trying to calm herself down. Jemma was right, she had to think clearly. There was no reason to panic yet.

‘Okay, so now I’ll go to a pharmacy.’ Jemma said but Daisy could hear hesitation in her voice; she clearly didn’t want to leave Daisy alone when she was so shaken.

‘I’m fine, Jem.’ Daisy said, trying to smile, and her stomach clenched painfully. She would survive ten minutes without Jemma, right?

And in that moment, a miracle happened.

‘Hey girls!’ Bobbi yelled cheerfully from the front door ‘I let myself in, hope you don’t mind!’

Her wide smile faded when she spotted Jemma and Daisy.

‘Hey, what happened? Are you alright?’

Jemma looked at Daisy and then she turned her face to Bobbi.

‘Could you run to pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test? Or better, two different?’

Bobbi for a moment was just staring at them, stunned.

‘Sure.’ she said, giving Daisy a soft smile ‘I’ll be right back.’

 

Waiting for Bobbi to come back, Daisy gulped four glasses of water with determination. Now she almost didn’t feel anything, as if she was hollow inside. If she was pregnant...then it would be Lincoln’s child. Oh God, what would she do?

‘Daisy.’ Jemma said quietly and gently touched her hand ‘Put it down, okay?’

Daisy glared down and saw that she was squeezing the glass so hard it almost broke. She put it down and tried to gave Jemma a brave smile.

Bobbi came back with a small bag in her hand and she gave it to Daisy.

It felt so heavy in her hand.

 

Both were positive.

She wanted to cry and to laugh at the same time but instead of that she was just staring at those two pieces of plastic that just turned her life upside down. She was pregnant. She had a baby inside her. It was ridiculous.

Jemma and Bobbi were waiting for her outside the bathroom. Daisy’s face apparently was telling a story because she didn’t need to say anything.

‘I can arrange an appointment with one of my colleagues.’ Jemma said carefully ‘If you want.’

Suddenly Daisy felt very tired and she almost collapsed on the floor.

‘I need to lay down.’ she said and her voice was weak and not hers.

 

Daisy was so tired but she couldn’t sleep.

She was staring at the ceiling, wondering how they hell could it happen. They had used protection, she was sure, but it was a long night and... Daisy shook her head. It didn’t matter now; all what mattered was that she had a decision to make, decision that would change her life completely.

She could get rid of that baby, she knew that, but it felt... wrong. Was she able to do that? She remembered Lincoln, his gentle smile and warm hands. She didn’t know him, she would probably never see him again but it felt so wrong towards him. It was his child, there was no other option. So she could have a boy or a girl with bright hair and kind eyes.

Daisy put her hand on her stomach. There was a baby inside her, it was fucking terrifying.

Her fingers brushed slightly two small scars and shivered.

Maybe... maybe that baby was a blessing. It had been two years and she still couldn’t get close with any man, not counting some one night stands from time to time. Sometimes Daisy wasn’t sure if she would be able to fully trust anyone again. But she knew that Jemma and Fitz would eventuallu get together, just like Bobbi and Hunter, and Daisy would end up all alone. And that baby... it would be her family, her only true family.

Daisy shook her head and hid her face in a pillow. It wasn’t a decision she could make in five minutes.

 

 


	2. I know that somewhere better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, never expected so many comments, thank you so much! Your opinions mean a lot to me.  
> This chapter is kinda set up for the next one but I hope you enjoy it!  
> And sorry for the long wait, things are a bit crazy right now.

Daisy woke up and she was feeling good and relaxed. It took her a few seconds to remember and her breathing stopped for a moment. She carefully put a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. There was a tiny, fragile life inside her. Huh. She glanced at her phone and realized with surprise that it was after 11 am. She should probably get up and eat something, she had to eat for two now. And she should go to a doctor, Jemma had offered help with that. Daisy got up, mildly surprised with her sudden calmness. She should be freaking out but instead of that she was like a freaking lotos flower.

She wandered to the kitchen and to her suprize she saw Jemma there, who looked at her with concern in her eyes.

‘You’re not at work?’

Jemma shook her head.

‘I called my colleague and I asked him to cover for me. Bobbi wanted to stay too but she couldn’t switch with anyone.’

‘You didn’t have to.’ Daisy said ‘But thank you.’ seriosuly, she couldn’t even express how grateful she was that Jemma was there but at the same time she felt bad that she was messing with her day.

‘Of course I had to.’ Jemma sighed ‘I’ll make you something to eat.’ 

‘You don’t...’ Daisy started but Jemma gave her that look of hers and Daisy closed her mouth. Jemma could be terrifying when she wanted to ‘What do you want to drink?’

Daisy wanted some coffee but she wasn’t sure if it would be good for the baby. She shouldn’t drink too much coffeine, right?

‘Tea, thank you.’ 

They were silent for a moment before Daisy spoke again.

‘Umm, you told me yeasterday that you could arrange me an appointment?’

‘Yeah.’ Jemma gave her concerned look before she asked carefully ‘So, have you decided?’

‘Firstly, I need to be sure I’m pregnant.’ Daisy said and the word pregnant felt weird on her tongue ‘And if I am... I think I’m going to keep it.’ she said that practically without thinking and those words felt like a promise. Jemma gave her a questioning look but she didn’t say anything and Daisy felt an urge to explain.

‘You know that I’m pro choice but... I don’t know, Jemma, I don’t know how to explain it but... it’s a baby, Jemma. There’s a life inside of me and I just can’t... This is my child, Jemma.’ she knew it sounded like rambling but that was how she felt. She was scared and full of doubts but she just couldn’t get rid of that tiny creature inside of her. That idea felt so... wrong.

Jemma simply nodded, handing her a cup of tea. She didn’t say anything and Daisy suddenly had to know what was she thinking.

‘So... what do you think?’

Jemma gave her a soft smile.

‘I’ll support your every decision, Daisy.’ her smile widened a bit ‘But I think it would be awesome to be an aunt.’

Daisy smiled at her, utterly grateful for her response.

She ate her pancakes and was during draining her second cup of tea when Jemma eyed her carefully.

‘And what about the father?’ she asked with hesitation and everything stopped for a moment as Daisy felt a painful clench of her heart. 

‘I only know his first name, Jem.’ she said quietly ‘And the day after he was moving out. I don’t know anything about him.’ 

She could see that Jemma had doubts but she was greateful that she didn’t say them out loud. She was still full of concern and her own doubts and she didn’t want anything or anyone to shake with her fragile decision. 

‘We’ll do it together.’ Jemma just said and Daisy felt tears gathering in her eyes. What had she done to deserve her? Words couldn’t really express what he was feeling- and speaking in that moment was carrying a risk of bursting into tears- so Daisy just nodded and gave Jemma her widest and the most grateful smile. 

Jemma used her contacts and the next day Daisy went to see a gynecologist. On her way there she couldn’t get rid of a thought that maybe she was misatken, maybe she wasn’t pregnant? And if so, what would she do? Would she feel relieved or disappointed? She had no idea.

The doctor was nice and professional.

‘Congratulations.’ he smiled warmly and Daisy’s heart fluttered. 

She left the doctor’s office buzzing with emotions. She was excited and scared and nervous, all at the same time. Some people would say that she was going to ruin her life, signing up for being a lonely mother in such a young age. But on the other hand she was twenty four, with a pretty good job and with a lot of feelings to spare. Sure, she couldn’t get emotionally involved with any man -Fitz and Hunter excluded, but they were friends- but it didn’t mean that she didn’t have a heart. Actually, she was aching to have someone next to her, to love, to be loved. It was such a human, simple thing and she wanted it, she needed it. Was she feeling prepared? Hell no, but she was sure she would get there in time. 

When Daisy got home Jemma wasn’t there; she had wanted to go to the doctor with her but Daisy didn’t want her to reschedule everything for her. And it was quite nice to have some time alone, so she just could sit in silence. She sat down on a couch and just tried to relax a bit, to release a tension from her muscles. It felt nice. She would sit like that for some time and then she would work a bit; oh, and then she would prepare some dinner. She realy had to learn how to make some good food, she would have a kid to feed. 

Jemma came back just when Daisy was trying to figure out if her lasagna was edible. 

‘Wow, is something burning?’ she asked when she entered the kitchen.

‘I tried to make a lasagna.’ Daisy sighed ‘But I guess something went wrong.’

‘I wonder what.’ Jemma didn’t even try to hide her smile ‘Well, we can scrub that black burned part...’

‘Ha, ha, ha.’ Daisy grumbled ‘I was really trying, you know.’

‘I know. But I’m going to order Chinese anyway.’

‘Good. But they better hurry, I’m so hungry I could it two portions. Well, technically I need to eat for two now.’ Daisy said that almost without thinking and Jemma’s eyes widened.

‘Oh, so you...’

‘Yeah.’ Daisy nodded and gave her friend a slight smile. 

‘So... congratulations.’ Jemma smiled warmly at Daisy and pulled her into a tight hug ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Beside the fact that I’m hella terrified? I’m okay.’ Daisy said and those words sounded firm and honest.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting on a couch with food in their hands, watching fourth season of  _ NCIS LA _ . It felt so good, so nice and so comfortable and Daisy thought that she would be able to do it. She would do it, she would bring her kid to the world, she would love it, she would raise it. She had practically raised herself so she sure could do it with her own child.

‘Do you think Bobbi told Hunter?’ Daisy asked and Jemma shook her head.

‘Nah, I don’t think so, not without your permission.’

‘Yeah, right.’ Daisy agreed; Bobbi wouldn’t tell Hunter without Daisy’s permission, the same as Jemma wouldn’t tell Fitz ‘I’d like to tell them tho.’

‘Sure.’ Jemma nodded and smiled widely ‘Can’t wait for their reaction.’

‘They would probably freak out. Still not sure how to tell them; it would be weird to just call them and say hey, I’m pregnant!’ Daisy joked but inside she felt very unsure because how do you break out news like that?

‘We can invite them over for a dinner on Saturday.’ Jemma suggested ‘I’ve a morning shift so we can prepare something nice to minimalize the shock.’

‘Great idea.’ Daisy smiled, relieved. She knew that Hunter and Fitz would be surprised but she was sure that they would be there for her all the way.

‘Is there a special occasion?’ Hunter asked, taking a bit of spaghetti Jemma had prepared. Daisy exchanged a look with Jemma and Bobbi and then looked at Hunter and Fitz. She felt a bit nervous but she knew they needed to know.

‘Actually, there is.’ she took a sip of water and cleared her throat ‘I’m pregnant.’ 

The guys were looking at her as they couldn’t understand her words. After a moment Fitz’s face lit up with a soft smile but Hunter’s face reamined blank.

‘That’s pretty amazing, Daisy.’ Fitz said warmly ‘Congratulations.’ 

‘Thank you.’ Daisy said with a smile and then moved her eyes to Hunter who clearly didn’t know what to say.

‘Wow.’ he finally said ‘That’s, um, unexpected. Didn’t know you were seeing someone.’ he said and then he hissed quietly- probably Bobbi kicked him under the table, that an usual thing between them. 

‘I’m not.’ Daisy said calmly and that stang only a little ‘And I don’t have contact with the father but I decided...’ she took a deep breath ‘I decided to raise it by myself.’ 

Those words were a promise, a promise to herself, to the baby inside her, to her friends, to all freaking world. And she was going to keep it.

 


	3. roads that go nowhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! Thank you so much for your kind comments, they mean a world to me and motivate me to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 

‘Oh my God, this is a nightmare.’ Daisy whined, shutting her eyes close and trying to focus on breathing. Fucking morning sickness. They only thing that was stopping her from running to the bathroom was a small bouquet of fennel- the smell of it was working surprisingly well as a medicine against throwing up her breakfast.

‘People say that it’s totally worth it.’ Jemma said and Daisy would roll her eyes if they weren’t closed. 

‘I really hope so because this is worse that my worst hangover.’ she said and inhaled the scent of fennel. Yeah, so much better. One of her hands travelled down to her stomach; it was now such a natural gesture; it was a thing she did after waking up, before leaving an apartment, in a bus. 

‘I thing I can feel my baby bump.’ Daisy said, touching her stomach. Jemma looked at her, narrowing her eyes.

‘It’s a bit too early for that.’ she said and Daisy shrugged her shoulders a little.

‘Maybe it’s because I eat so much lately. Anyway, I’m going to see the doctor next week so I’m going to find out.’ 

‘Great.’ Jemma nodded as she started packing her bag ‘Okay, so you can stop by my hospital at five, we can go from there.’

‘Okay.’ Daisy agreed. She and Jemma planned to go for a dinner to their favourite Italian place. Daisy just hoped she would feel better than now, when she was feeling sick after eating one humble pancake. 

‘You better be the best kid in the world.’ Daisy said when Jemma left for work ‘Or I’m gonna remind you every day of my suffering.’

Yeah, morning sickness was a bitch, but now, in her third month, she knew that she had made the right decision. Sure, she had moment when she was a bit scared or unsure- but she never doubted that that child would be someone to give her life a meaning. 

She stayed on a couch for a few more minutes and then she sighed and got up. She had to work a bit, they were developinh a new game and everyone was snowed under. Daisy was pretty happy that she had job like that- she could do something she loved and she could do that at home. It would be a great thing when the baby will be born and she was sure that she would have enough money to secure its life.

Near to Jemma’s hospital Daisy spotted a tiny old bookstore with a sign  _ 3 for 2  _ on a front window and she couldn’t help herself, she had to check it out. She pushed the door and the first thing she saw was a big box with books for children and she was lost. 

Daisy left the store half an hour later with nine books in her bag. Andersen, Lucy Maud Montgomery annd a few other authors- not only fairytales but she wanted to be prepared. Boy or girl, her child would have to read _Anne of Green Gables_ and _Daddy- Long- Legs_ , no question. 

She entered the hospital few minutes after five and smiled to a recepcionist.

‘Hi, Jenny.’ she said when she made her way to the counter; miraculosuly, there was no queque ‘Do you know if Jemma’s finished?’

‘Good evening, Daisy. Yes, I’ve just seen her, she should be here in a minute.’

‘Thank you.’ Daisy said and Jenny gave her a wide smile.

‘Girl’s night?’ she asked and Daisy nodded.

‘Yeah, we’re going to have some Italian dinner. I’m a terrible cook.’

‘Actually, I’ve a book with easy recipes, it was a wedding gift. I can give it it you, after fifteen years of cooking for Sean I’ve plenty of practice.’

‘That’d be amazing, thank you.’ Daisy smiled because yeah, she could use some help. She wanted to ask Jenny about her kids when she heard someone stopped behind her; she was sure it was Jemma so she was about to turn around when the person spoke.

‘Jenny, I need the file of that boy from a car crash.’

For a second Daisy saw black; her stomach twisted into a tight knot and it was hard to take a deep breath.

She knew that voice, oh God, she knew him.

‘Of course, doctor Campbell.’ Jenny said and her voice was muffled in Daisy’s ears. She knew she should say something, turn around, do  _ something _ but she was paralyzed, not able to move or to make a sound. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Jemma’s cheerfull voice.

‘Here you are! I hope you’re not waiting too long.’ 

Daisy opened her mouth but no sound escaped them. Jemma didn’t seem to notice, saying something to Lincoln and Jenny.

Shit, he was right next to her. Did he even remember her? She should turn around, she should, she should. He was standing right behind her, she just had to spin around.

‘Oh, where are my manners.’ Jemma said and her words snapped Daisy out of a daze because she knew exactly what was going to happen ‘Daisy, this is my colleague, Lincoln Campbell; Lincoln- my friend, Daisy Johnson.’ 

That was it. Daisy took a shaky breath and closed her eyes for the shortest of moments. She was going to have a child with that guy, she had to be brave. So she opened her eyes and turned around.

He looked exactly as she remembered, all bright hair and kind smile; just his eyes were a bit more tired than before. And now those eyes were staring at her, wide open and full of shock. His smile faded a little and suddenly it was hard to breathe away.

Daisy knew she should say something.  _ Hi, you remember me? Well good, because I’m pregnant.  _ Okay, nope. Should she shake his hand? She could practically feel Jemma’s eyes on her and she thought that whole situation had to look incredibly awkward. 

Would he be mad that she had left while he had been sleeping? She hoped not, she didn’t want thing to get even more messed up.

‘Hi.’ Lincoln finally said and he didn’t sound mad. His voice was warm, with a bit of confusion, and Daisy could see a slight smile on his lips. Okay, so he was nice, she just had to play it cool. 

But then she looked at him and she felt a sudden emptyness in her stomach and all courage left her. She felt pressure building up in her chest and tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, and she felt small and scared and so not prepared.

So she turned around and ran away.

She stormed out from the hospital and just kept on running without any specific direction. She heard Jemma calling her name and she knew that she was hella scared. So she stopped, breathing heavily and leaning next to a door. She closed her eyes and tried to slow down her heartbeat, it was probably not good for the baby.

‘Daisy, what the hell happened?’ Jemma asked when she reached her ‘What are you doing?’

‘It’s him, Jemma.’ Daisy said without thinking, opening her eyes to look at her friend. Jemma narrowed her eyes, clearly confused.

‘Him? You mean Lincoln?’

Daisy nodded silently, suddenly feeling very weak and tired.

‘Have you met him before?’ Jemma asked, still not following. 

‘Jemma.’ Daisy said steadily; she just wanted to get over with it, hide in her bed and think about it tomorrow- which was probably selfish but she just didn’t feel strong enough to do anything ‘Jemma, he’s the father.’ 

For a moment Jemma just stared at her, her face blank.

‘Oh my God.’ she finally said, her face frozen in shock ‘That’s why you ran away.’ 

‘That was so wrong.’ Daisy sighed, closing her eyes for a second and shaking her head ‘I should’ve stayed and talk to him but... I was concinced it was going to be just me and the baby. But now... I don’t even know him, Jemma. And I’m scared.’ 

‘It’s okay.’ Jemma said reasurringly, putting her hand on Daisy’s shoulder ‘As long as you’re going to tell him.’ she added carefully.

‘Of course.’ Daisy said, feeling a painful clench of her stomach; she might be freaking out but there was no doubt that she had to tell him ‘Just not today, okay?’ it sounded like a pleading but she was so tired and shaken she couldn’t imagine talking to Lincoln in that moment.

‘Sure.’

They got home twenty minutes later and Daisy went staright to the bathroom. She spend some time under a shower, letting hot water to take away tension from her muscles. She moved one of her hands to her stomach and rested it there. She had to figure it out, for the baby’s sake. 

When she entered the kitchen she knew what she had to do.

‘Jemma, could you give me his number?’ 

‘In that case I think I should.’ Jemma said, giving her a slight smile. 

Daisy wrote the number down, prepared some tea and went to her bedroom, where she sat down on her bed. She started at her phone for a long moment, trying to find good words to explain herself.

_ Hi  _

Okay, good start.

_ Hi, it’s Daisy Johnson. I get your number from Jemma. _

Now it looked a bit awkward but honestly, she just needed to be over with that.

_ I hope you don’t mind. _

She really hoped that he wouldn’t be mad at Jemma for giving her his number. 

_ I’m really sorry about how I acted. Could we meet soon? I’d like to talk with you. _

Daisy read it twice and pressed send before she could change her mind. 

The answer came back after two minutes, as if he didn’t have any doubts.

_ Lunch tomorrow? _

She almost smiled at the response. Maybe after all everything was going to be okay.

 


	4. 'Cause you always take me there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments! Hope you enjoy!

 

Daisy grabbed her light jacket and glared at her reflection in a mirror. She looked good, no sign of her nervousness visible on her face. Great. Anyway, everything would be fine, they just had to figure it out. But what if he wouldn’t want to be in the baby’s life? She wouldn’t blame him but of course it would be... disappointing. Sad. But something was telling her that Lincoln wasn’t like that.

 _He’s a good guy_ Jemma had said and Daisy just hoped that she was right.

 

When she entered a restaurant she immediately spotted him, as if he was radiating some kind of a bright light. She was really hoping that he wasn’t mad at her for her previous behaviour. In that moment Lincoln raised his head and looked at her, smiling slightly when he saw her.

Daisy took a deep breath and made her way to Lincoln. She was more than surprized when Lincoln stood up and and helped her sit down.

God, and she thpught that gentelmen didn’t exist anymore.

‘Thanks.’ she muttered when he sat down in front of her.

They were sitting in silence for a moment, Lincoln clearly waiting for her to start talking first.

‘Hi.’ Daisy started lamely and his smile grew a bit wider.

‘Hi.’

‘Look, I’m really sorry about yesterday.’ she said quickly, because she felt that she should do that ‘I’m really...’

‘Daisy.’ Lincoln cut her off gently ‘It’s okay.’

He could say something ironic or sarcastic, something like _you’re good at running away_ but instead he was kind and understanding.

‘Thanks.’ she said and he smiled warmly ‘So, how have you been? You didn’t move out from the city.’

‘No. I changed hospital so I decided to move somewhere closer.’

‘I see.’ Daisy nodded ‘So, you’re a doctor.’

‘Yeah. Surgeon orthopedist.’

‘Oh, that’s cool.’ okay, so she was pretty impressed.

‘You can say so.’ Lincoln agreed with a quiet chuckle ‘And you’re... a programist?’

‘Close enough.’ Daisy grinned ‘I work for a company that’s creating video games.’

‘Wow, that’s definitely cooler.’ Lincoln said, clearly impressed.

A waitres came to their table and Daisy asked for chicken salad and orange juice; Lincoln took only a glass of water.

Talking with him was surprisingly nice and comfortable; apparently the first impression was pretty right. Daisy would love for that conversation to last a bit longer but she had a thing to do.

‘I was looking for you, you know.’ she said and surprisingly, she felt heat creeping onto her cheeks.

‘Really?’ Lincoln asked, clearly surprised, and she noticed that his heart lit up a little.

‘Yeah.’ she nodded.

Say it, say it.

He probably would be shocked but she had to do that fo her- their- child.

‘I’m pregnant.’

Okay, maybe she dropped that bomb too fast.

For a few seconds Lincoln’a face remained blank but then it changed into an image of pure shock.

Slowly, he raised his glass and started drinking as if he was after a race through a desert.

A knot in Daisy’s stomach was tighter and tighter with every second.

‘Look, I don’t expect anyt...’ she started but Lincoln raised his hand, cutting her off. He emptied the glass and took a deep breath.

‘I’m sorry.’ he said and Daisy blinked, surprised ‘I didn’t expect...’

‘That’s fine.’ Daisy said quickly ‘You’ve every right to be surprised.’

Now she expected him to ask if she was sure that it was his child but apparently she didn’t know Lincoln good enough.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked with concern that surprised her ‘It’s beggining of third month, right?’

‘Yeah.’ Daisy nodded ‘And I feel pretty good, well, not counting morning sickness.’

‘Good. That’s good.’ Lincoln nodded, still looking pretty shocked ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit overwhelmed.’ he chuckled a bit nervously.

‘Believe me, I get it.’ Daisy smiled warmly at him ‘When I found out I freaked out.’

‘Oh.’ Lincoln’s face changed, his slight smile faded ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘For what?’

‘You had to do it all by yourself. I can’t even imagine...’ Lincoln shook his head ‘I’m really sorry.’

‘That’s okay.’ she said and smiled a bit wider ‘I should’ve take your number.’

Lincoln smiled briefly and then his face turned serious again.

‘You know that now I won’t let you do it alone.’ it didn’t even sound like a question and Daisy suddenly felt warm inside.

‘Yeah, now I know.’

 

‘Seriously, at the hospital? This is the biggest coincidence ever.’ Fitz said with disbelief, taking a sip of his beer.

All Daisy’s friends were gathered in a living room, craving some information.

‘I know.’ Daisy sighed ‘And Jemma was talking so much about her new awesome colleague, I’d never thought it was him.’

‘Is he really that awesome?’ Bobbi asked and Jemma tilted her head a little.

‘Lincoln’s a good guy and a great doctor.’

‘Wait, his name’s Lincoln?’ Hunter asked ‘What kind of name is that?’

‘Still a better one than Lancelot.’ Bobbi said and everyone choked on their drinks.

‘Lancelot?’ Fitz repeated, trying to stop himself from laughing ‘Really?’

‘My mom loves history, okay?’ Lance muttered, shooting Bobbi a death stare.

‘I should probably start thinking about a name.’ Daisy said.

‘Well, I guess you should talk about it with Lincoln.’ Bobbi noticed with a grin.

‘Next week I’ve an appointment and he goes with me, so we can start early.’ Daisy said with a laugh.

 

Doctor Trip was very pleased when he saw that Daisy wasn’t alone.

‘Hello, I’m dr Antoine Triplett.’ he said with a wide smile ‘I assume you’re the father.’

‘That’s right. I’m Lincoln.’

‘Pleasure to meet.’

Daisy was so grateful that Lincoln was there with her; it was making her less nervous despite the fact that he was in her life only for a few days. Doctor Trip started preparing her for ultrasound and Lincoln smiled at her reasurringly.

‘Are you nervous?’ he asked and she shook her head.

‘Not really.’

‘That’s good. But if you want, you can hold my...’ he stopped in the middle of the sentence, eyes glued to a screen ‘Oh my God.’

‘What?’ Daisy asked, confused. The screen was grey with some shadows and she couldn’t see aything ‘What’s going on?’

‘Good eye.’ doctor Trip smiled broadly; he pushed a button and the picture became sharper ‘Congratulations, you have twins.’

‘What?’ Daisy felt like someone hit her ‘Like, two kids?’ one of her hands found Lincoln’s arm and squeezed it.

‘Exactly.’ doctor Trip nodded ‘And they seem to be perfectly fine.’

‘Double happiness.’ Lincoln smiled and Daisy’s heart started hammering in her chest.

She left the office on shaky legs and dizziness in her head.

‘Hey, are you okay?’ Lincoln asked with concern, putting a hand on her back.

‘I need to sit down.’ she muttered.

Lincoln helped her sit down and she hid her face in her hands, her thoughts running in her head.

Twins. Two kids. Oh God. Oh God.

‘Daisy, you have to breathe.’ she heard Lincoln’s voice and she followed his voice, trying to breathe calmly.

‘Everything’s okay.’ he said softly but she still couldn’t force herself to look at him.

‘You didn’t sign up for this.’ Daisy muttered and she could feel how he tensed right next to her. A few dasy earlier he had found out that he would be a father and now... It was so much to take, not only for her, but also for him.

‘That’s fine.’ Lincoln said and his voice was warm and soft ‘I guess I’ve a lot of love to spare.’

 

 


	5. Anger, love, confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really, really sorry about the long wait guys. I had some personal stuff to deal with- tbh I still didn't figure everything out so I have hard time writing. Really sorry for that. Still, hope you enjoy!

 

‘Fitz really wants to met Lincoln.’ Jemma sid, giving Daisy a pointed look. They were sitting in their kitchen, eating dinner after a long day.

‘I know.’ Daisy sighed ‘Maybe I’ll organise something next week or so. Now I’ve to get to know him better and then I can introduce him to the rest of you.’ 

‘I understand completely.’ Jemma nodded with a slight smile.

Of course Daisy wanted Lincoln to meet her friends but before that she had to know him better. Did he have family, any siblings? Did he have enough money and time to help her out with their kids? How would they take care of them, not being together? They had a lot of stuff to figure out together and that was her priority. 

‘Actually, I wanted to invite him on Saturday. To talk.’ Daisy gave Jemma a careful look and her friends smiled a bit wider and nodded.

‘That’s perfect, I wanted to go out with Fitz anyway.’

‘Oh, really?’ Daisy smiled, grateful ‘What a coincidence.’ 

On Saturday Lincoln appeared twenty minutes late and he started apologizing the moment Daisy opened the door.

‘I’m sorry, I had a bit trouble at work and...’ he started explaining but Daisy cut him off getly, patting his shoulder slightly.

‘That’s totally fine, stop apologizing.’ she smiled and showed him the way to the living room. 

‘You want something to drink?’ she asked before they sat down on a sofa ‘Tea, beer, orange juice?’

‘No, thank you, I’m fine.’ Lincoln said lightly but Daisy was sure that she saw something in his eyes, a shadow, for the shortest of seconds. But then it was gone and maybe it was just a game of lights. 

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked and she smiled slightly, her hand travelling to her belly. It was such an easy gesture for her now, like a second nature. 

‘I’m- we’re- fine.’ Daisy said and Lincoln smiled broadly.

‘Good.’ 

The moment of silence that fell between them was only a bit awkward but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was something Daisy knew would change in the future, when they get to know each other better. 

‘Okay, so I want to talk to you.’ Daisy finally said and Lincoln’s smile widened.

‘I figured.’

‘Shut up.’ Daisy chuckled ‘It’s important stuff!’

‘Right.’ Lincoln nodded, his face now serious. Daisy really liked that about him; he liked that he was such an easy person to talk to but at the same time she knew that he was absolutely sure that he was serious about her and their babies. They still didn’t know each other very well but she was already convinced that he was a good person. 

‘I know it’s still early but I think that we should start talking.’ Daisy said and Lincoln nodded silently ‘Like, get to know each other. Figure out how we’re gonna do it.’

‘Agreed. We’ve a lot to talk about.’ 

‘Yes.’ Daisy nodded ‘So, can I start the interrogation?’

‘Do your worst.’ Lincoln said with a smile and Daisy chuckles quietly again.

‘I’ll be gentle. So, do you’ve any family?’ she asked and her heart sped up for a second . She would love her kids to have a family, like grandparents and aunts. She perfectly knew how hard growing up without family could be.

If Lincoln was surprised with her question, he didn’t show that.

‘My parents live in Cincinnati, where I grew up. And I’ve a younger brother, John.’ he said and she saw a light in his eyes when he mentioned his brother ‘I believe now he’s a taxi driver in New York.’

‘Nice.’ Daisy grinned; Lincoln looked at her as if he wanted to ask her something but he just gave her a slight smile, not saying anything. 

‘That’s good.’ she said quickly, wanting to get it over with ‘I was raised in an orphanage.’ 

She watched how Lincoln’s face changed and her heart clenched with her that she would saw there pity. But instead she saw compassion and some warm understanding. It was new, to see that in people at the news about her childhood but at the same time she wasn’t surprised. It was like somehow she had been expecting Lincoln to be like that.

‘Actually, I’ve to call my parents and share the good news.’ Lincoln said easily ‘My mom’s gonna love that, she talks about grandchildren all the time.’

Those simple words made her heart feel a bit lighter. It was surprising, the power that he seemed to have over her. He was able to make her smile, to make her believe that she was actually able to do that. Daisy actually caught herself on thinking that she could trust him; not fully, but strong enough to make that work. 

‘I’d love to meet them.’ she admitted quietly and Lincoln nodded.

‘Of course.’ he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

‘Thank you.’ Daisy said before she could stop herself and then she added quickly ‘So, there’s something I actually think about a lot lately.’ she stopped for a moment, trying to find proper words; the subject was really fragile and she didn’t want to make a mistake ‘After our kids are born... how are we gonna do this?’

‘I’m not gonna leave you alone with this.’ Lincoln said quickly, not letting any doubt slip into her thoughts ‘I was actually thinking about it a lot too.’ he admitted with a slight, almost shy smile. 

‘I can barely imagine how to take care of one baby and I’m a bit freaking about the two of them.’ Daisy said ‘And I really don’t want to cause so much trouble to Jemma but this place would be a mess.’ she already felt guilty about that but she didn’t have enough money to look for some other place. She knew one day she probably would have to do that but now she had other things to worry about.

‘Yeah, about that. I was thinking...’ Lincoln looked at her carefully ‘It’s just an idea, you don’t have to agree on that. So, I thought, that after our kids are born... you could, like, move in with me.’

Daisy’s heart stopped for a second and she froze.

‘Not forever.’ he said quickly, noticing the change on her face ‘Just... so I could help you. First months are really crazy.’

Daisy knew that his words were making sense. It was totally reasonable; they could split responsibilities and it would be great for kids to be with their father since their first days. But on the other hand... could she do that? Live with a guy, even as good as Lincoln? Could she?

‘Can I think about it?’ she asked quietly, looking at her hands.

‘Of course.’ Lincoln said quietly ‘Hey, don’t worry, okay?’ 

Daisy glared at him; there was a smile on his face, soft and warm, and she immediately felt a bit better.

‘We’re in this together.’ he said firmly and she had to smile slightly.

‘Yeah, we are.’

And then suddenly Lincoln’s smile faded a little and Daisy narrowed her eyes, feeling a sting of concern. She was already used to his bright smile and she didn’t like that look on his face, the look he had in that moment. 

‘Is everything okay?’ she aksed, unsure.

It took him a few moments to answer; he glared somewhere over and shoulder and then his eyes met hers and he sighed quietly.

‘There’s actually something I think I need to tell you.’ he said quietly; there was a familiar look in his eyes, the look she could see sometimes when she was looking into a mirror. Daisy’s heart clenched a bit when she realized that he had a secret, a painful one, a secret he had to share with her. And she understood perfectly that he was scare she would judge him for that; she knew because that was one of her biggest fears too.

‘I mean, I wish I didn’t have to tell you.’ Lincoln admitted ‘But I want you to trust me and for that... you’ve to know.’

He went silent for a moment and Daisy let him, her heart beating a bit faster that usuar, concern creeping into her mind. Fianlly, Lincoln took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes.

‘Three years ago... I had a drinking problem.’

His voice was quiet and ashamed, and his eyes left hers to look at his hands.

‘The first thing after coming home from a hospital was to drink. Mainly vodka. I had... hard time in life but it’s no explenation.’ his voice crazked a bit and so did Daisy’s heart ‘I never drank at work but one day... one day I almost did that.’ now his voice started to tremble ‘I was about to drink, in a middle of my shift. But... I didn’t. I couldn’t.’ he looked at her briefly and then looked away again ‘At first I didn’t want to go back to medicine. But in the end it’s the only thing I can do.’ 

The silence after his words was heavy. Lincoln wasn’t looking at her but Daisy couldn’t stop watching him. Surprisingly, his confession didn’t change anything. Actually, it changed something- it made him even better in her eyes. He was just a human being but he was brave and decent enough to share something so painful with her. And that fact, more than anything, made her believe that he was serious about her and their children.

So maybe it was her time to show how serious she was. 

Daisy swallowed hard and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She pulled it up a bit, enough to expose her stomach.

‘You see those two scars?’ she asked when Lincoln looked into her direction ‘I was shot.’

Suddenly she felt a lump forming in her throat and painful pressure settled in her chest. She wasn’t ready to tell him everything; she wanted to do that but she just couln’t yet.

‘I’ve made a lot of mistakes.’ Daisy said, her voice trembling under a weight of sudden memories ‘And one day I’ll tell you all about it.’

Lincoln nodded slowly, looking at her with serious eyes. 

‘Okay.’

‘I mean, we’re both imperfect.’ Daisy said, feeling both like crying and laughing all of a sudden ‘But I’ve a feeling that we’ve made some pretty perfect babies.’

Lincoln chuckled at her words and suddenly everything seemed lighter.

‘As long as they have your looks.’

‘My face and your brain?’ Daisy asked, smiling widely ‘Sounds like a winning combination.’


	6. You say space will make it better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing that can justify such a long break but life's getting in a way, I'm back in school and well, a lot more. Not too much action in this chapter (well, a tiny bit of angst) but the next one...

 

Daisy put the last plate on a dining table and decided that it was enough. Table for six people was ready and they only thing it was missing were guests.

‘Bobbi called, they’ll be here soon.’ Jemma said, putting down a vase with a few tulips. She gave Daisy a reassuring smile and patted her shoulder briefly.

‘It’s gonna be fine, Daisy.’

To be honest, Daisy was only a bit nervous. She just felt that all her friends would like Lincoln and that he would like them. But she pretty sure that was going to pull off some kind of interrogation. Oh well, he was one big overprotective teddy bear. 

Lincoln was the first one to appear; Daisy noticed that he had shadows under his eyes but he was smiling widely. Probably he was just tired.

‘Hi.’ Daisy grinned ‘It’s great to see you.’

‘This time I made it on time.’ Lincoln said, following her into the living room. Daisy couldn’t help but think about what he had said a few days earlier. That she could move to his place with the kids for some time. She knew that it was a pretty good idea- she had no idea about taking care about two little babies and Lincoln was a doctor- he for sure knew better and could react if something was wrong. And the most important part- he was their father; that way he could spent a lot of time with the twins, which would save them some logistic problems in a first few crazy months. Every single day was making her sure that he was a great person but at the same time she still wasn’t sure if she could handle living with him. 

Daisy shook her head, deciding that she would think about it later. Now she had pretty important meeting to deal with. 

‘Lincoln!’ Jemma exlaimed cheerfully when she saw him ‘It’s great to see you.’ 

‘You too, Jemma.’ he smiled and Daisy felt happy that they were in such a good terms. 

They were all chatting for a few minutes when there was a loud knocking to the front door. 

‘I bet that’s Bobbi.’ Jemma grinned, getting up from her chair ‘I’ll open.’

‘Should I be scared?’ Lincoln asked, raising his eyebrows.

‘They don’t bite.’ Daisy answered with a chuckle ‘Well, usually.’ 

Lincoln laughed shortly and Daisy felt relaxed; it was going to be fine, she could feel that. 

A moment later Jemma and the rest of her friends entered the room; the exchange of names went smoothly. Fitz was smiling so brightly it was almost blinding and Hunter and Bobbi wasn’t looking too scary- they could make that impression sometimes. 

‘It’s great to finally meet you, man.’ Hunter shook Lincoln’s hand ‘Have to make sure if you’re worthy.’

Daisy almost choked on water she was drinking. Luckily, Lincoln just grinned at Hunter’s words.

‘I’ll make sure to show you my best side then.’ he said lightly and sat down next to Daisy.

‘Sorry for him.’ Daisy mumbled when the rest was occupied with a vigurous chat about ‘how impossible was to find a parking spot in that goddamn city’. 

‘Hey, it’s fine.’ Lincoln said quietly and Daisy knew that he was being honest ‘I’m happy that you have people that care for you. Now I’m not scared to leave you for a moment.’ 

His voice was light but his words suddenly hit her hard; it was just something in the way he was looking at her, in the way he was forming his words... But she believed him. And she was stunned by it, by honesty in his face and by how easily she was believing him. Maybe she should know better- after all what had happened- but she just couldn’t help it. She believed him and she trusted him- not with everything- but she did, and it was more than she could tell about any other man. 

Daisy glared at Lincoln, who was now chatting with Bobbi about some biological stuff she didn’t even try to understand and she was glad to see that they seemed to get along pretty good. All she wanted was her friends accepting Lincoln. He was going to be a big part of her life now.

And suddenly a thought appeared in her head, and Daisy’s heart stumbled into her chest.

He would be her family.

No, no, he wouldn’t. Daisy shook her head slightly but the thought already settled in, whispering in a back of her head. 

The ony family she ever knew was her friends. These four amazing people that showed her that he was worth love and acceptation. Who helped her when she didn’t have strength to go on, who never gave up on her. 

Lincoln wasn’t a part of a plan. She hadn’t been ready to let someone new into her life but there he was, sitting in her apartment and talking with her friends. 

He was family of her kids and that was making him her family too. 

It was scary and big, and warm and exciting, and...

‘Daisy, are you okay?’ 

Daisy blinked and met Lincoln’s concerned eyes.

‘Yeah.’ her voice came out a bit hoarse so she cought ‘I just drifted away for a second.’

He looked at her for a moment before he nodded shortly and flashed her a genuine smile.

She had a feeling that they would be fine. 

Dinner passed in a great atmoshere; everything seemed to really like Lincoln (and vice- versa) and even Hunter wasn’t interrogating him too much. But despite the fact how much she enjoyed that evening- after some time she started to feel really tired. Perks of being pregnant- hungry all the time (seriously, she ate probably half of the food that she and Jemma had prepared) and getting tired ridicuously easily. But it was worth it. Right?

Sure it was. Thoughts like that were lost in a past.

‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ Lincoln said softly when they all were standing in a corridor and saying goodbyes.

‘Sure.’ 

Hunter was the last one to leave.

‘I like him.’ he said ‘You can keep him.’

‘Thanks.’ Daisy said with a roll of her eyes. Hunter was such protective Friend Mom but that was a thing she loved about him. 

When everyone left she and Jemma decided to clean up a little. Daisy noticed that Jemma was sending her curious looks from time to time but she was’t saying anything. Daisy remembered that at some point of the dinner Jemma had become pretty quiet and she started to wonder what was the cause. 

‘I know that look.’ she said lightly ‘Come on, spit it out. 

Jemma gave her one more long look before she put down a glass that she had picked up a moment earlier.

‘Did you tell him?’

Daisy’s smile faded when she shook her head, her heart clenching at the sound of Jemma’s serious voice.

‘Not everything.’

‘So he doesn’t know.’ she sounded almost disappointed.

Daisy looked down at the table to avoid her friend’s eyes. Now she regretted that she hadn’t gone to bed instead.

‘You have to tell him the truth.’

‘Don’t you think I know that?’ Daisy raised her head, suddenly feeling angry ‘But seriously, do you think it’s easy?’

Jemma shook her head, her eyes were looking at Daisy firmly.

‘Lincoln’s a good person. And he’s not some random one- night stand anymore. He...’

Daisy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Jemma, from the all of people. She was her friend for so long, she should have known better that to say things like that. She had seen her in her worst, she knew what she had been through, then why was she judging her like that? Daisy knew that she couldn’t keep Lincoln out of the truth forever but she still wasn’t ready and Jemma should respect that. Just the way Lincoln did. She knew that Jemma just wanted to protect him but her words were burning like fire.

‘I’m not doing this with you.’ that’s all Daisy managed to say, feeling suddenly a lot more tired and sad. And a little bit betrayed ‘I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.’

Jemma had enough decency to look slightly guilty. Maybe she regretted her words but honestly, in that moment Daisy didn’t care- she just wanted to be alone, so she turned around without any words and walked straight to her bedroom.

 


	7. Caught before I hit the ground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's here! I was sick so I had time to write this chapter for you, but now I don't have time so I haven't checked the spelling (as always). Hope you enjoy!

 

Three days after the dinner Daisy practically forgave Jemma for her harsh words, but she still didn’t feel fully comfortable around her. Daisy hated that feeling; Jemma was her best friend after all, but she had hurt her and Daisy hated getting hurt. She had that enough in her life.

Or maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Jemma was right and Daisy should tell Lincoln everything immediately. She played with that thought for a moment but she felt shiver running through her body and she knew that she wasn’t ready. One day she would be, but just... not now.

She spend half of a day working on the newest project and when she finished she felt like she needed fresh air. She got up and sighed when she felt a slight pain in her back. It was fourth month and she was slowly starting to feel babies’ weight. And speaking of weigh... well. she gained something. Doctor Tripp said that it was a normal thing in that case. And that’s why her belly was already visible and suprisingly, Daisy quite liked it. She had thought she wouldn’t but there she was, enjoying warm looks and returning honest smiles. 

Daisy left her room and went to tthe kitchen to grab some food before going out. She grabbed some leftover pasta and poured hersef a glass of orange juice. Eating healthy. No more chips and cold pizza instead of real food. She put pasta in a microwave and her eyes wandered to the fridge again, rinning through a dozen of notes hanging there. Some old shopping lists, Daisy’s stupid notes and funny drawnings and in the middle- Jemma’s weekly working schedule. According to that she should be back home around 10pm, which wasn’t the worst. Under Jemma’s working hours Daisy noticed smaller adnotation’s about the other doctors- Lincoln and some guy named Steve. If the numbers were true, Lincoln should be at home in that moment and Daisy felt a sudden need to see him. She had never been at his place before but she knew the adress. Didn’t seem like the worst idea, she wanted to go out anyway. 

Daisy had to admit that Lincoln was living in a pretty nice neghbourhood. She couldn’t help but notice a nice park with a playground in a close proximity to Lincoln’s bulding. And a metro station was only a five minutes walk away. That made her think about his offer once again- well, she thought about it a few times a day. She still didn’t know what she would like to do but that idea seemed less and less dreadful with every day. But on the other hand, he still didn’t know... Daisy shook her head, decided not to get upset about it again. She found Lincoln’s door easily and knocked a few times. Then a thought appeared- what if he wasn’t home? She should have called him and ask if it was okay. But then the door opened and her concern flew away, replaced by confusion. Because a man who she was looking at- he wasn’t Lincoln. He was blonde, with blue eyes and grin which was almost blinding. 

‘Hi!’ he said before Daisy had a chance to ask if she was at the right apartment ‘You wanna see Lincoln?’

‘Yeah.’ Daisy nodded, unsure.

‘Come in.’ the man said easily, stepping aside and letting her in ‘He’s taking a shower but he should be out in a few minutes.’

‘Thanks.’ Daisy said, looking around. On the first look the apartment looked pretty nice but she could see only a bright living room and small kitchen. Everything looked clean and sunny and Daisy quite liked it. 

The man was looking at her with the same bright smile ha had greeted her at the door.

‘You’re Daisy, right?’ he asked suddenly and Daisy nodded, a bit confused.

His grin grew even wider.

‘It’s fantastic to finally meet you. I’m John, Lincoln’s brother.’

‘Oh.’

Daisy hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t expected to meet a member of Lincoln’s family-  _ her kids’ family _ \- today. So for a moment she had no idea what to say but apparently John had this thing covered.

‘So, how are you feeling?’ he asked lightly and Daisy realized that he knew. Well, that wasn’t so surprising, he was Lincoln’s brother after all. 

‘I’m fine. Just morning sickness from time to time.’

‘That sucks. I mean, that’s good. Well, no...’

Daisy chuckled at John’s rambling and suddenly felt more relaxed. 

‘By the way, if it’s a boy I totally expect that you name him after me.’

Daisy laughed and shook her head.

‘Actually, I don’t know if Lincoln told you... we’re expecting twins.’

John’s eyes widened at her words.

‘Wow! That’s pretty awesome! He hasn’t told me yet, I literally came here like half an hour ago... Congrats!’

‘Thanks.’ Daisy smiled. She liked him. He had that kindness written on his face, the same she could see in Lincoln. And he seemed to be pretty excited about being an uncle and that was making Daisy feel a bit warm inside; family was something she always missed and she was heppy her children will have what she hadn’t.

‘You live in New York, right?’

‘Yeah, I...’ John started but then they heard a click of a door and a short moment later Lincoln entered the living room. He looked as if he just stepped out from a shower because his hair was still wet and well, he was shirtless. 

It’s not that she hadn’t seen him shirtless before but okay, her mouth went a bit dry because hell, it’s been four months since...

‘Daisy?’ Lincoln blinked in confusion ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Yeah.’ she said quickly, trying not to stare ‘I just wanted...’ she stopped there, because the answer  _ I wanted to see you  _ didn’t seem right to say. But she realized, with all clarity, that it was the only reason she was there. Because she wanted to see him. Maybe she missed him a little. Which was ridiculous because she had seen him a few days earlier. 

But of course, she couldn’t tell him that. Luckily, John was the one to speak.

‘Daisy told me you’re going to have twins! Congrats, man!’

Lincoln’s eyes rested for a second on Daisy’s face before he moved his gaze to hid brother and smiles slightly.

‘Thanks. How awesome is that?’

‘Beyond awesome.’ John smiled broadly ‘Hey, maybe Daisy could join us for dinner?’ he turned his face to Daisy and she could see his pure honesty “I’d love to know you better.’

‘Would be great.’ Daisy smiled brightly.

‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’ Lincoln said and Daisy noticed that he looked a bit distracted and maybe a tiny bit uncomfortable and she wondered what was the reason. She hoped that he wasn’t mad at her because of her unnanonced visit.

‘You sure? I don’t want to...’ she started but he cut her off quickly.

‘No, no.’ Lincoln said quickly and flashed her a smile that almost calmed her down ‘Just give me a sec.’ 

When he left the room Daisy glared at John, who was looking at her with a mysterious smile and she felt a little bit uneasy under his gaze. He looked as if he knew something but had no intention to share it. 

‘Is everything fine?’ she asked, unsure, and John nodded quickly.

‘Perfectly.’

Lincoln came back- with a shirt on, which Daisy found both relieving and disappointing. There was no sign of his previous distraction and he was smiling lightly and she immediately felt more sure.

The boys took her to a small restaurant she had never heard about it. It was small and cosy, with dark wooden furnitures and bookshelves in the back. And there was a pillow on every chair, which Daisy found pretty useful- maybe her back wouldn’t be killing her after some time sitting.

‘Wow, this place’s cool.’ she said, sitting down and picking up a menu ‘Oh my God, this things look awesome!’

‘The food here is to die for.’ John infromed with a grin ‘We always come here when I visit the big brother.’ 

Lincoln rolled his eyes at that but he smiled a bit wider at the same time.

Of course, John was right- a soup she was eating was one of the best things she ever tasted. 

‘I see you were hungry.’ Lincoln chuckled and she made a face at him.

‘Not my fault that your kids are hungry all the time.’ she joked and she saw how his face lit up at her words, and her heart melted a little bit at this sight. 

And it would all be perfect if her phone didn’t ring. 

She thought that maybe it was Jemma but when she saw a caller ID her smile faded and she felt a chill running down her spine.

‘Excuse me for a second.’ Daisy mumbled and almost ran outside, feeling Lincoln’s concerned gaze on her.

Outside, she took a deep breath and glared at the phone once again. It couldn’t be good news if Phil Coulson was calling.

‘Yes?’ she asked, closing her eyes and trying to calm her breathing.

‘Daisy.’ his voice was calm but she had a feeling that he was only pretending ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah. Why are you calling?’ 

He was silent for a short moment.

‘I need to tell you something, Daisy. It’s very...’

‘What?’ Daisy asked urgently, feeling like she might get sick in any second. She took a step back and leaned to a building’s wall ‘What’s happening?’

‘Grant Ward escaped four days ago.’ he said and Daisy felt her throat clenching, blood rushing and the last thing she remembered before passing out was her phone falling to the ground.


	8. Would you take the wheel if I lose control?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for your comments, you're the best motivation!

 

Daisy woke up suddenly, her eyes opening only for a second before she closed them again when light hit her with a blinding force. She burried her head under a blanket, her mind blurred so she didn’t really care where she was. But before she had a chance to fall asleep again in this warm cocoon she heard sharp, but at the same time kind feminine voice.

‘I can see that you’re not asleep.’ the mysterious voice said and a second later Daisy felt that she removed blanket from her face ‘Welcome.’

Daisy blinked as the light hit her again. When her eyes get used to it again she looked at the woman and she saw that she was wearing a nurse uniform. So she was in a hospital. But why? Daisy remembered eating dinner with Lincoln and John, and then... She furrowed her brows, not sure what happened then.

‘You and your kids are okay.’ the nurse said warmly and Daisy felt a wave of relief.

‘Thank you.’ she said, her hand travelling to rest on her stomach. She wanted to ask the nurse about some more details, but the nurse spoke again, looking briefly through Daisy’s file ‘Can I let your fiance in?’

Daisy’s eyes widened and she almost choked on air.

‘My fiance?’ she only could repeat and the nurse smiled a bit wider.

‘He was pretty worried about all of you.’ she added so Daisy just nodded, a bit dumbfoned, her mind still not fully awake. The nurse left and Daisy realized that she was sure was talking about Lincoln, and that thought made her smile a little bit.

She was proven right when Lincoln almost ran into the room two minutes later.

‘Hey.’ he said, sitting down on a chair next to her bed ‘How are you feeling? Are you okay?’

Daisy noticed that his hand twitched, as if he wanted to touch her arm; but he didn’t do that and Daisy narrowed her eyes for a second, wondering what was the cause. But Lincoln was looking at her with concern in his eyes so she decided not to touch that subject.

‘I’m-we’re- okay.’ she tried to smile but it didn’t turn out to good; she felt some kind of pressure in her stomach, as if she was nervous, but she could’t quite catch the reason ‘So you’re my fiance now?’ she asked, trying to sound lightly. Lincoln looked a bit embarassed and he scratched the back of his neck.

‘It’s not my hospital, you know. And they wouldn’t tell me anything because I’m not family so... when they asked if we’re together I just didn’t say no’

‘Nice.’ Daisy nodded and looked at Lincoln carefully ‘Do you... do you know what happened? I can’t fully remember.’

Lincoln looked at her with honest concern and Daisy’s heart dropped.

‘I don’t really know, Daisy.’ he said and she could spot a glimpse of guilt on his face ‘Someone called you and you went outside, and...’

Daisy didn’t listen to him anymore, memories flooding her and making her breathing to hitch and her heartbeat to quicken. She felt like falling to a dark hole, air escaping her lungs and her stomach turning into a tight knot. Lincoln must have noticed that something wrong was happening with her because he moved closer to her, his eyes wide open and full of concern.

‘Daisy, what’s going on? Daisy?’

She couldn’t catch her breath.

‘I need Jemma.’ she stuttered, her hadnd fisting the sheets. She forgot about all acrimonies between them- she needed Jemma, only she could understand.

‘I’ve called her when we got here but she couldn’t leave work.’ Lincoln explained quickly, looking at her with so much worry that it would hurt her if she wasn’t so paralyzed. Paralyzed by fear, which was blocking her throat and making her lose control. She was lost, not knowing what to do, her whole body shaking like in fever.

When she felt Lincoln’s cool fingers on her arm she almost jerked away, a sudden contact scaring her for a short moment. But she forced her to look him in the eyes, to meet his clear gaze.

‘Breathe with me, okay? Slow and steady.’ he commanded gently and Daisy almost laughed hysterically because she had heard that advise way too many times before and it was a bit ridiculous to her. But Lincoln squeezed her hand gently and she automatically followed his pattern, slowing her breathing and trying to calm her shaking body down. She had troubles focusing on that, waves of panic returning every few moments, but she focused her eyes on Lincoln’s face and after some time she felt her heartbeat coming back to normal. Lincoln’s eyes never left hers, his hands holding her handa with soft, but at the same strong grip. It was strangely comforting, his touch, his presence, his want to make her feel better. She still felt fear, circling in her veins, but at least she was able to breathe normally

‘Better?’ he asked gently and Daisy nodded slightly, still unable to make a sound,

‘Okay.’ Lincoln said quietly, his thumb running soothing circles over her skin. For a moment they both were silent, their hands tangled, and for a second Daisy felt safe. But then that feeling was gone, because she wasn’t a fool.

‘I...’ she started, but her throat was painfully dry, so she cought slightly. Lincoln got up quickly, his hand leaving hers, and her hand twitched at the sudden loss.

‘I’ll bring you something to drink.’ he said, his face an image of worry, and he left the room. Daisy fell on a pillow and closed her eyes, taking a deep breathe.

Ward had escaped. She wondered if he would go after her. There was a possibility, a scary big one. And if he did... then her kids could be in danger. Her hand traveled to her stomach, her fingers brushing two small scars. Daisy's heart skipped a beat as memories ran through her head, but she shook them of quickly, reaching for her phone that was laying on a nigth table.

It took him only a few seconds to answer.

‘Daisy?’ she could hear relief in Coulson’s voice ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’ she said quickly ‘Just passed out.’ she added bitterly.

Coulson was quiet for a long moment.

‘Daisy, I’m...’

‘Did they find him?’ she cut him off, wishing for everything that saint that he would nod.

‘Not yet.’

Daisy closed her eyes again and thought about Lincoln’s steady voice. In and out, in and out.

’What do you think he’s going to do?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

‘I don’t know, Daisy.’ he said and she could hear in his voice that he was tired ‘We both can agree that Grant Ward is unpredictible.’ Daisy shivered at the sound of his name, her hand clutching a blanket ‘But I think... there’s a possibility that he’d try to find you.’

Daisy almost laughed at Coulson’s words. Of course there was that chance, and it was fucking huge. She had moved across the coutry to escape the past but she knew Grant well enough to know that when he wanted something, he wouldn’t hesitate.

‘We’ll be in touch.’ she said, her voice sounding emotionless in her own ears. For a moment she felt totally empty, like her all emotions disappeared ‘Inform me.’ she added before ending the call. When she put the cell on the table she noticed Lincoln; he was standing by the door, watching her carefully, a bottle of water in his hand. She somehow managed to give him a pale smile.

‘You’re back.’ she said, and she felt stupid for stating the obvious. Lincoln nodded automatically, slowly making his way towards her. He handed her the bottle and she took it with a gratefuls sigh. She drank a few sips greedily while Lincoln seated himself next to her.

‘Thank you.’ she said when she finished and he gave her a short, warm smile. He didn’t say anything but she was sure that he saw her talking to Coulson. Lincoln wasn’t stupid and she was sure he would connect the dots pretty quickly.

Maybe it was the right time to tell him.

To be honest, there was no right time to do that. Daisy wished with every cell of her body that she didn’t have to, but when she looked at his face, so full of softness and concern, she understood that she didn’t have a choice. He was the father of her children and he deserved... he had to know. That was the right thing to do. And it didn’t matter how embarassed and uneasy she felt- he had already told her about his difficult past, so it was her turn to come clean about herself. That was a right thing to do.

‘Lincoln.’ she said quietly, his name stragely familiar on her tongue. She wondered if she could reach for his hand but she stopped herself from doing that. Instead, she put her hands on her knees, telling herself that she should keep some distance ‘I need to tell you something.’

‘Okay.’ he nodded, moving a bit closer to her and giving her small, encouraging smile.

Daisy really hoped he wouldn’t blame her, although she still couldn’t forgive herself. But she needed Lincoln to be by her side in this, when their children could be in some kind of a danger.

‘I need to tell you how did I get these scars.’ she said, and those words felt cold and heavy.

 

 


	9. If I'm lying here Will you take me home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christams! Look who's back with new chapter filled with typos, but oh well, it's Christams, and I'm writing it in a middle of a night. Big thanks to Farishta, I probably wouldn't write it today if it wasn't for your comment.

 

_ ‘ _ _ I need to tell you how did I get these scars.’  _

Lincoln’s face changed a little as he looked at her, wide eyes and brows furrowed. He seemed to be concerned and Daisy wanted so hard to make him smile. But she knew that she couldn’t hide the truth from him anymore, no matter how badly she wanted to close her eyes and pretend that everything was okay. 

She just hoped that he wouldn’t hate her.

‘You don’t have to.’ he said quietly and she flinched at his soft tone. It was so tempting, to just drop it, to let herself use his understanding, but that wouldn’t be fair. And she somehow knew that keeping that secret would just make it harder to say it in a future. 

‘I do.’ Daisy said, her voice a bit hoarse and barely louder than a whisper ’I owe you that.’

Lincoln opened his mouth as if he wanted to protest but Daisy was grateful when he just nodded silently, eyes fixed on her face.

‘Two years ago I met a man.’ Daisy said, her gaze dropping to a blanket covering her legs. The words were already burning her throat, leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. She hated that, she hated the fact that it was her own story, a tale about her own mistakes and bad choices. ‘And I fell in love with him.’

She closed her eyes for a second, feeling a wave of disgust running through her body. She still remembered when she told Ward that she loved him and she remembered how she felt when he said that back. 

When she opened her eyes she glared at Lincoln, who was still looking at her with unreadable face, and she focused her gaze on blankets again.

‘He said he loved me.’ Daisy said, her voice again only a hoarse whisper ‘And I believed him, because it was the first time I heard that.’ she heard Lincoln shifting a bit but she didn’t dare to look at him, because she somehow knew she would find compassion written all over his face and she didn’t want to see it in that moment. She needed to keep going. ‘In the beggining, it felt like... like something I always wanted. Like safe haven.’ Daisy felt a hysterical laughter growing inside her as a reaction to her own words. Safe haven, good joke. ‘But after some time I realized that he wasn’t a good man. He was involved with that group of people... they were criminals. And he was... important. I tried to ignore that, at first. Tried to hold on to what we had.’ she swallowad hard, twisting her fingers painfully. She felt her heartbeat speeding up again so she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Suddenly she felt Lincoln’s hand gently covering hers. She almost darted away at the unexpected touch but she stopped herself, her eyes now focused on their tangled fingers. It felt both wrong and right; his touch was comforting but at the same time Daisy felt like she didn’t deserve that. 

She knew she had to finish talking, but it was so damn hard. Only Jemma and Coulson knew the whole story; Bobbi, Fitz and Hunter knew the most of it but not everything. And now she was sitting there, throwing all these memories at the person she had known for such a short period of time. But now she had to get to the hardest part and one of her hands travelled to her stomach without her will, fingertips brushing over two small scars. 

‘One day, when I was with him, his... the other group... they attacked us. I’ve got shot.’ 

Daisy heard as Lincoln sucked his breath in but surpsingly, she didn’t feel anything. She suddenly felt... empty, as if she was talking about someone else. It was strange and unexpected after the mix of emotions she had felt just a moment ago. ‘After that, I never saw him again. I understood that he wasn’t a good person. He... I think that he might love me, in some way. Because I know that he was looking for me, after I left the hospital. But I found help.’ she felt a ghost of smile forming on her lips when she thought about Coulson and how he basically saved her ‘I moved here, trying to start over. But since that, I’ve some... trust issues. I just...’ Daisy didn’t even know how to finish, but she had to, she really, really did. Just a few more sentences and she would look at him, prepare to see judgement on his face. ‘I know that he went to prison for his crimes. He...' her voice broke for a moment, because it was so hard to admit before Lincoln that she had loved a criminalist. A murderer. 'He was... sending me letters. He was promising that he would find me so we could be together.’ she swallowed hard, preparing to tell him the most important thing ‘And now he escaped.’ 

She let these words hang in the air between them. She didn’t dare to look at Lincoln immediately but she felt some kind of relief when he didn’t move his hand from hers. She waited for him to say something and after a few minutes he did, his voice terrifyingly blank.

‘You’re scared he’d come for you.’ it didn’t sound like a question but Daisy nodded. She desperatedly wanted him to say that it was okay. That everything would be fine. She felt paralyzed at the thought that he might judge her the same way she judged herself.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Daisy said quietly, closing her eyes ‘I...it brings danger for our...’

‘Daisy.’ he cut her off gently, but firmly at the same time ‘Stop it.’

She finally dared to look at him; deep inside she was hoping that he would give her some kind of smile and her heart clenched a little when he didn’t. But there was no judgement, no disgust, and his hand was still covering hers. ‘It’s not your fault.’

Daisy had heard that sentence so many times before but she never believed it was true. That time was no different. It was always her fault, her stupidity and recklesness, her foolish dreams.

‘We’ll deal with this together.’ Lincoln added firmly and she felt like he took some weight from her shoulders. She suddenly felt very tired, as if all adrenaline escaped her body in one second. All she wanted to do was to collapse back on her pillow and steal a few more hours of sleep. But Lincoln’s eyes and hand were keeping her steady.

‘I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.’ he said, so much softer and more quiet than before, and Daisy felt a sudden urge to embrace him, to bury her face in a fabric of his shirt and believe that everything would be okay. And maybe she would do that if in that exact moment Jemma hadn’t enter the room.

‘Daisy!’ she exlaimed loudly, making her way to the bed. Lincoln shot Daisy one quick look before he stood up, making Jemma space to come closer. His hand slipped from Daisy’s palm and she felt a light string of regret at the lost of his touch.

‘I’ll leave you two to talk.’ he said and Daisy caught a ghost of smile on his lips before he left the room.

‘Daisy, what happened? Are you okay?’ Jemma asked, sitting next to the bed, her eyes searching Daisy’s face for the answer.

‘Ward escaped.’ Daisy said simply, too tired to play games. Jemma gasped, her eyes wide open, but Daisy didn’t let her say anything. She explained the situation in short words, feeling her head becoming heavier with every second. She was so, so tired.

When Daisy finished talking, Jemma was quiet for a moment.

‘I think we should call Hunter.’ she spoke finally, her voice quiet and face paler than usual ‘He’ll know what to do.’ she smiled softly and got up ‘But right now you need to rest. I can call him for you if you want.’

‘Thank you.’ Daisy whispered, and a minute later she was already asleep.

‘You’re not in a witness protection program?’ Hunter asked, narrowing his eyes. He and Daisy were sitting in her living room; Daisy had explained him the situation, and she was glad that Hunter treated that case with a full profesionallism. She could see that he was surprised by the details he hadn’t known before but he wasn’t commenting any of that.

‘No.’ Daisy shook her head ‘I had no knowledge about... details of his actions. I was pretending that nothing was wrong.’ she flinched at her own words ‘But after moving here I changed my first name.’

‘Oh.’ Hunter bliked with a slight surprise ‘What was your name then, if I can ask.’

‘Skye.’ she said, memories flashing through her head ‘I used to think it was pretty cool.’

‘It is cool.’ Hunter smiled and she felt a bit calmer ‘But I prefer Daisy.’

She smiled at him, grateful that he was trying so much to make her feel better.

‘So, you’re afraid that he’d follow you here?’

‘Yes. Grant, he... I think he was a bit obsessed with me, when I think about it now. I guess that I was too blind to notice how... posessive he was. He always told me that he’d find me anywhere. I used to think it was romantic.’ she said bitterly, once again cursing how stupid she used to be.

Hunter was silent for a few moments, clearly analysing the situation.

‘To be honest, there’s nothing that I can do, not officially. I’d love to give you some security but I can’t do that. But I know some people... they should know when someone like Ward arrives to the city. I’ll be in touch with them and if something happens, I’ll let you know. Beside that, we already got an info about the escape, every cop in this country is looking for him.’ he said, and then sighed with frustration ‘I wish I could do more.’ 

‘It’s a lot.’ Daisy said, giving him a pale smile ‘Thank you so, so much.’

‘That’s what I do.’ Hunter said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. Then, he looked at Daisy with some seriousness on his face ‘Daisy, can I ask you a question?’

‘Of course.’

‘Does Lincoln know all of that?’

He had every right to ask that question but Daisy felt as if someone punched her in a stomach. 

‘Yes.’ she said and she was surprised how hoarse her voice was. She coughed and added ‘Yes, I’ve told him everything.’

‘Good.’ Hunter nodded and Daisy had a feeling that he wanted to say something more about it, but he didn’t. And maybe it was better, because when it was coming to Lincoln, Daisy had no idea about anything at all. He hadn't pushed her back but at the same time she could feel some new distance between that, distance put by him, not her. Daisy knew that he wouldn't leave her alone with all of that but at the same time she was scared that she had lost something. She was scared that he would never look at her the same way again and that thought were making her feel a little bit empty inside.

 

 


	10. Every minute gets easier...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! Sorry for the long wait guys, but life's pretty exhausting and so on. But there it is, a new chapter, I hope you enjoy!

 

Daisy tapped her knee nervously, glaring at the front door of a clinic. She had a perfect view on the entrance from her chair and that wasn’t helping at all; she couldn’t stop herself from looking in that direction every minute. She knew that Lincoln wouldn’t stand her out, especially not in that case, but she still was feeling nervous and a bit unsure. One of her hands was resting on her stomach- a habit that was now like her second nature- as she took a deep breathe. She had to keep her heartbeat and blood pressure steady, that was good for the kids.

‘Daisy Johnson.’ a smiling nurse called her with a soft voice ‘Doctor Triplett is ready to see you.’

Daisy closed her eyes for a second and swallowed a lump that formed in her throat. She felt as if she could start crying right away but she managed to control herself. She felt almost mad at herself for her reaction but oh well, she was pregnant and hormonal, and she had a right to get a little upset sometimes, right? Especially when she was about to walk into a doctor’s office alone, despite someone’s promises. She got up from her chair with a slight difficulty; sudden movements were causing her a little trouble these days, especially her back was killing her way too often. Maybe it was a blessed state, but damn if it wasn’t tiring as hell. She glanced into the entrance once again and then she turned around and entered the doctor’s office.

‘Daisy.’ doctor Trip smiled warmly at her ‘Good morning. Lincoln couldn’t make it today?’

Daisy swallowed a lump in her throat and forced herself to smile back.

‘Yeah, he couldn’t.’

‘I see.’ doctor nodded slightly ‘But don’t worry, I’ll just check if everything’s okay.’ he gave her a reassuring smile and Daisy immediately felt better ‘It’s a fifth month, if I remember correctly?’

‘Yes.’

‘Just what I thought. I’m sorry I don’t remember exactly...’

‘No, no, that’s okay.’ Daisy said quickly and honestly ‘I can’t imagine how much patients you have.’

‘A bit.’ doctor Trip smiled more widely ‘Well, I think we should be able to see kids' gender today.’

Oh.

Of course. She had read somewhere about that but then she forgot completely. She felt excitement buzzing in her veins at the thought. She could start thinking of names for them then. She would have to talk with Lincoln about that.

Lincoln. Right. Daisy wished so much he was there. But he wasn’t and she shouldn’t be thinking about it right now. She should focus on what was important in that moment- on her children and herself. She was used to doing things alone, to being alone, and Lincoln’s presence in her life made her a bit weak at that point. Maybe it wasn’t that good as she thought.

Daisy shook her head quickly. Really, no time for that.

They were sitting in silence for a few moments as doctor Trip was preparing everything for examination.

‘Okay, let’s see these little guys.’ he said cheerfully as he turned the machine on.

Daisy saw two shadows and her heart might stopped for a second because damn, she could see their shapes. Heads and tiny, tiny hands. She forgot about all the world, staring at those two little shadows that were her kids. Two little lives inside of her.

‘I’m pretty sure these are two little men we’re seeing here.’ Trip said and it sounded strangely casually, too casually, when Daisy could just lay there stunned, trying to process that information.

‘Two boys?’ she managed to ask, her voice ridiculously squeaky.

‘Yes, Daisy, two boys.’ Trip almost chuckled ‘And they are in perfect health. Do you want a picture?’

Still in awe, Daisy was able to just nod her head, still staring at the monitor. It was almost unbelievable to her. A few months ago she wasn’t even thinking about having children at all. And now there she was, looking at her ki- sons- and she quite couldn’t wait to look at their faces and hold their tiny, so tiny hands. How strange the life was.

Ten minutes later she left the office with a light heart and a grey picture hidden safely in her bag.

 

When she reached home she didn’t expect anyone to be there so she was a bit surprised when she saw Jemma almost asleep on their couch. But when she saw her she almost jumoed.

‘Daisy! Why weren’t you answering your phone? I was starting to worry.’

‘Huh?’ Daisy narrowed her eyes and put her phone out of her bag ‘Oh, it was muted and I forgot to turned it on when I left the doctor’s.’ she was kinda walking on sunshine when she left the office to be honest ‘Why were you calling me?’

‘Just wanted to let you know that Lincoln wouldn’t make it to your appointment.’ Jemma explained and Daisy felt as if a bit of air escaped her lungs. ‘He was about to leave but then he got called in for a surgery. That was one bloody mess, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still standing by the operation table now.’

Daisy felt a mix of emotions colliding inside of her. Relief that Lincoln hadn’t stood her out and guilt that she even thought about that. How could she even doubt him? He had never let her down yet and yes, maybe he was keeping some distance lately but he had some reasons for that and Daisy didn’t blame him. But she sheould never doubt him, because she should finally learn that he was the one she could trust. She felt tears pricking in the corners of her eyes and she was one step from crying when her phone saved her, vibrating and showing that Hunter was calling.

‘Hey.’ she said and cleared her throat, because her voice sounded a bit hoarse ‘What’s up?’

‘Just a quick update.’ she could practically hear Hunter’s smile in his voice ‘So far no news about Ward, so you can sleep safely. My contact would knew if he appeared.’ as he said that Daisy suddenly felt as someone took a weight from her shoulders. She wasn’t feeling one hundred percent safe but still, it was good news.

‘Thank you, Hunter.’ she said quietly ‘Really.’

‘That’s my job.’ he chuckled ‘Take care, okay?’

‘Sure.’

She ended the call and looked at Jemma, who was watching her with concerned expression.

‘Hunter.’ Daisy explained shortly ‘He called to tell me that there’s no sign of Ward.’

Jemma’s face immediately lit up.

‘That’s good.’ she sighed ‘Maybe he won’t show up at all.’

‘Hopefully.’ Daisy said, but deep inside she didn’t believe that. She felt in her bones that he would come after her. Maybe not know. Mybe in a few months. But he would. He tried not to think about it too much though. Her life couldn’t be controlled by fear.

‘And how was at the doctor’s? Is everything fine?’

‘Yes.’ Daisy could practically feel her face litting up. She opened her mouth to share the exciting news but something inside her told her to stop. She had this tiny feeling that Lincoln should be the first one to know. She couldn’t be there with her but she had a feeling he would be crazy excited about it. He was just that kind of a person.

Damn, how could she ever doubt him?

‘Everything’s okay, I’m just pretty tired so I’m gonna go to bed. Just gonna make some tea and maybe read something.’

‘Oh.’ Jemma blushed a little and Daisy raised her eyebrows ‘You see, I invited Fitz for tonight? So we could watch the movie or just hang out?’

Daisy couldn’t stop herself from grinning at her friend’s awkwardness in that moment. That was so not like Jemma, but quite common when it was coming to Fitz.

‘I see. I hope you won’t mind if I’ll give you two some time alone? I wouldn’t be a great company tonight.’ she didn’t say that she didn’t feel like thirdwheeling again. She didn’t blame them, she just wished they could get together already.

Jemma already opened her mouth to say something- probably to oppose- but Daisy shushed her with a gesture of her hand.

‘I’m going to my room now. And you have fun, okay?’

‘Okay.’ Jemma nodded and smiled at her gratefully.

 

Daisy was tucked safely in her bed, wearing her biggest sweater, a mug in her hands and laptop in front of her. She was just surfing on the Internet, checking popular names for boys. She was turning into a sap and she kinda loved that. It was so amazing, how these two little guys in her belly were changing her, making her lose her sharp edges and softening her behaviour.

She could hear Jemma and Fitz laughing but Daisy didn’t feel like joining them. She was good in there, having some alone time. But something was missing and she could feel that despite that comfortable state she was in. So she reached for her phone and hesitated. She really wanted to call Lincoln and tell him about the news- she knew he would be as excited as her- but at the same time she was a bit scared of doing that. Because that strange distance that appeared after confession was still there and that was making her hold back. Daisy sighed and checked the hour; it wasn’t terribly late, but she didn’t want to distrub him. He was probably tired after a long day anyway.

And what happened then could be another example of how her life was just a big stream of coincedences.

Daisy heard a soft knock and a second later the door opened and she saw Lincoln, who stopped at her doorstep, looking a bit unsure.

‘Hi, uhm... I hope I’m not disturbing you? Jemma let me in.’ he explained quickly.

For a moment Daisy was able only to stare at him and grin, but when he shifted a bit- clearly a bit uncomfortable- she said ‘Yeah, come in, come in.’

He gave her a quick smile before he closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of her bed.

‘I’m really sorry I didn’t make it earlier.’ he said before she had a chance to say anything ‘I had an emergency situation, but...’

‘Hey, that’s okay.’ Daisy cut him off, smiling at him gently ‘Jemma called me.’ she didn’t mention that she had spent some time being pretty pissed at him; she still felt guilty about that ‘And hey, it wasn’t that scary.’

‘What did the doctor say? Is everythig okay?’

‘Perfectly fine.’ Daisy said, feeling excitement buzzing in her veins once again ‘Actually, I’ve news.’ she moved a bit closer and Lincoln looked at her curiously, but with smile on his face ‘The doctor told me that we’re gonna have two boys.’

For a second Lincoln’s face remained unchanged but then it lit up.

‘Really?’ that was apparently all he was able to stay and Daisy couldn’t hold back a quiet chuckle.

‘Yeah.’ without thinking, she reached out and took one of Lincoln’s hands in hers.

‘This is so amazing. I mean, if they were girls it would be awesome too, but it’s just...’

‘It’s just great to know. We could think about the names and all.’

‘I bet it’s all you were thinking about since you found out.’ Lincoln said and Daisy shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

‘I’ve a few ideas.’ she said and moved a bit, making a space for him to sit next to her ‘So, what do you think about Walter?’

‘Walter?’ Lincoln repeated and Daisy just knew that he was holding back a laugh ‘It’s like a name for a cactus or something.’

‘What? How dare you!’ she patted Lincoln’s shoulder and he laughed shortly.

‘Why do I’ve a feeling that you wanna name our kids after your favourite book characters?’

‘How do you know?’ she gasped, because well, that might be when she found and inspiration for that one.

Lincoln shrugged, smile never leaving his face ‘Just a hunch.’

‘Well, what’s your proposition then?’

‘If we’re going this road, I suggest Harry right away...’

‘Oh my God.’ Daisy grabbed a pillow and hit him with it, causing him to laugh loudly ‘You’re impossible! This is very serious!’

 ‘I know, I know.’ he chuckled ‘But you know, you could’ve gone with Fitzwilliam...’

Daisy started laughing so hard that for a moment she couldn’t breathe. It felt so good and natural, just to sit there with Lincoln and laugh, and be careless for a second. He was watching her with these warm eyes of his and suddenly there was no wall between them, no distance, just this sparkling energy that was making his presence so comfortable.

They still had to talk about some serious things, she knew that, but at this moment she chose that little piece of happines.

 

 


	11. If it helps me walk away then it's what I need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been ages, but life's tough and I guess I've lost heart to this story a bit, but I'm determined to finish it.

 

Daisy woke up to strong arms around her and the feeling of safety surrouding her in every way. She was feeling so comfortable that she didn’t even want to open her eyes, letting herself sink into this warm, quiet cocoon she was in. She sighed with content and decided to catch some more sleep, she didn’t feel like moving at all.

It took her a second to realize what was she actually doing. And whose arms were embracing her so tightly. She had been there before, a lifetime ago. 

She should move, gently shook herself out from Lincoln’s embrace, but she remained still, too caught up in this strange, warm familiarity. She felt safe and calm, and she decided that a few more minutes wouldn’t harm anyone. Maybe ir would feel slightly awkward later, but she didn’t care about it in that moment. It’s been such a long time since she had been that close with anybody. So she just closed her eyes and let herself to drift to sleep once again.

When she woke up some time ago she immediately realized that Lincoln was gone and she felt a sharp sting of disappointment. She turned to her side to be sure and she spotted a small note laying on the pillow.

_ Hey Sleepyhead, _

_ I’ve to go to work but your snoring is so adorable I just can’t wake you up. _

_ Btw, we’re not calling our sons Fred and George. _

_ I’ll call you in the evening. _

_ \- L. _

Daisy snorted when she read the note and then she smiled softly. It was so like Lincoln. It was the first time she saw his handwriting and she noticed that it was very clear and nice, not like most of the doctors she knew. 

She stayed in her bed for a few more minutes before she got up slowly, feeling a bit lazy. Maybe it was that whole pregnancy thing, because lately she could sleep all the time. Well, in a few months she would have no time for sleeping so she had to rest when she still had time. 

Once again she wondered briefly about Lincoln’s idea about moving to his place. It wasn’t as scary as it had been in the beginning. Lincoln was now one of the closest friends she had and the possibility of sharing with him apartment and caring about their kids together wasn’t so dreadful. 

Finally Daisy got up and wandered to the kitchen, feeling quite hungry. To her surprise she found Jemma there, drinking coffee and looking like a rey of sunshine. 

‘Morning.’ she greeted her and Jemma smiled brightly ‘You’re radiant today.’

A slight blush creeped onto Jemma’s cheeks. Daisy was in a great mood so she decided to tease her friend a little bit ‘You and Fitz had good time yesterday?’

Now Jemma’s face was red like a tomatoe.

‘Uhh, yeah... We’re, umm...’

‘Okay, save me the details for later.’ Daisy said with a small laugh. Yeah, she was curious but she didn’t want Jemma to feel uncomfortable ‘You’ve an afternoon shift today?’

‘No, I’ve a free day.’ Jemma said a little bit absently, as if she was thinking about something else ‘Lincoln offered to take another twenty four hours so if nothing drastic happens...’

Daisy narrowed her eyes.

‘What did you say?’

Jemma looked at her, a little bit confused.

‘That I’ve a day off?’

‘Yeah, but why? What did you say about Lincoln?’

Jemma’s expression changed, as if she didn’t want to say something, and Daisy felt a familiar sting of concern. Suddenly all her calmness gained during the night disappeared. She could tell that Jemma knew something and she wasn’t too willing to share. But it was about Lincoln, and Daisy just had to know.

Jemma pressed her lips into a tight line.

‘It’s not really my thing to tell you.’

‘Jemma.’ Daisy insisted and her friend sighed, a quiet, frustrated sound.

‘Okay, okay.’ Jemma raised her hand and looked straight at Daisy ‘It’s just... Lincoln’s really serious about it, you know? About you and your babies.’

Daisy nodded; she had no doubts about it, so she wasn’t sure what Jemma was going to say. 

‘He just takes as much as he can now, so after the babies are born he could take more time off. Also, the longer the shift the more money, so I guess he’s really preparing, you know?’

Jemma was trying to say it in the most casual way as possible, but Daisy knew what her friend was thinking about it. That he was working too much, pushing himself too hard. Now it made sense, she thought; his absence, his constant exhaustion that he was trying to hide from her. 

‘Fuck.’ the word escape her mouth before she had a chance to think about it. But it was actually how she felt. She was mad, at Lincoln and herself. He shouldn’t have be like that and she should have noticed it earlier. 

‘Daisy...’ Jemma started, but Daisy waved in her direction, cutting her off.

‘I’m fine, Jemma. It’s fine. I’ll deal with it.’

‘You know he’s doing it for you, right?’ Jemma asked quietly and Daisy felt her heart clench painfully.

‘I know. And now I need to do something for him.’

Daisy finished her breakfast quickly and went for a meeting with her colleagues to talk abut the next project. But it was like she was working on autopilot, not really paying attention to the world around her. Her mind was still wrapped around Lincoln and what she should do. She had to talk to him, that was obvious. She understood what he was doing and why, but she couldn’t let him do that. Of course she also knew that doctors usually had a lot of work, but even Jemma admitted that he was pushing it too hard. 

Since Lincoln was on twenty four hour shift she knew that she had a lot of time to think about how she was going to deal with it. 

On the work meeting they talked about their new project; they discussed the script and agreed on the few changes in it. Despite that stressing day, Daisy was pretty excited about it; they got inspired by a Polish game  _ Kholat _ and decided to create something in similar style, but with entirely different plot. She loved her job and was grateful that she would be able to do much of work at home, it would be perfect when her boys will be born.

She did some grocery shopping and went home when she focused on finishing some paperwork. 

Of course, Lincoln was still on her mind, sitting somewhere in the back of her head. That’s why somewhere around six she pulled off her phone and typed a message to Lincoln.

_ I’d like to meet tomorrow when you get rest after work. Text me back when you’re up. _

She knew that he probably wouldn’t response before the next day’s afternoon, but she didn’t mind. He needed rest, after all, she knew that more than ever. The rest of her day went quickly; she read some book in her bed and fell asleep pretty early, with her hand clutching a pillow incredibly tight. 

Lincoln texted her back around noon, saying that she could come by any time. Daisy hesitated for a moment, not convinced that he had enough sleep, but she decided that way at least she could make sure he would eat. She texted him that she would bring some take out and she got ready quickly. 

She stopped at her favourite Chinese place and then headed straight to Lincoln’s apartment. 

Lincoln opened the door wearing a soft looking shirt and wide smile, but it wouldn’t fool her this time. 

‘Hi.’ Daisy started lightly, stepping into his apartment ‘Did someone ordered Chinese?’

‘God, yes. I’m starving.’ he said and led her to his living room, when they sat down on a sofa and started eating quickly. Daisy decided they would eat first and then she would talk to him. 

She watched him carefully as he dig into his chicken, now noticing even more features. Pale tone of his face, dark circles under his eyes, slow movements of his hands. 

‘Thank you.’ Lincoln said when they finished eating, a genuine smile on his face. 

‘Of course.’ she answered and adjusted her position on the sofa so she sat more comfortably. ‘Listen, I’d like to talk to you.’

‘I hope you don’t want to convince me to agree on naming boys Tango and Cash.’ she said with a comically wide eyes and Daisy couldn’t help but chuckle at his words.

‘Well, that’s a talk for later.’ she moved a little bit closer ‘Listen, I’m a bit worried about you.’

‘About me?’ there was genuine surprise in his voice, as if he couldn’t believe that.

‘I think that you work too much.’ she blurted out and Lincoln’s face stilled. Using his sielence, Daisy continued quickly ‘I talked to Jemma so I know, okay? And I understand what you’re doing and why, but I just...’ she gestured with her hand, not finding quite good words to express what she was feeling. She looked at Lincoln, who was sitting with eyes glued to his knees. Daisy suddenly felt bad, that quiet, sickening feeling in her stomach crawling up to her throat and making it hard to breathe. One of her hands darted forward to rest on Lincoln’s palm, carefully and with hesitation. Lincoln breathed out at the contact, a little bit shakily, as if he was incredibly tired.

‘Hey.’ she touched his cheek briefly and that finally made him look at her, and Daisy realized with a sinking of her heart that he looked so much older in that moment. Face too tired for a person his age, his usually bright eyes now dim and clouded. ‘You’re so much more than that money, you know?’

Lincoln exhaled deeply and nodded slightly, some kind of sad half smile on his face.

‘I just...’ he coughed quietly, his voice a bit hoarse ‘I just feel like it’s the most you can do for you.’

‘No no no no.’ Daisy said quickly, her hand trailing from Lincoln’s cheek down to rest on his shoulder. ‘Don’t you ever say that again. I’d don’t know what I’d do without you. Just... you need to think about yourself too.’

‘Okay.’ he agreed simply after a long moment and suddenly Daisy realized how close they were. She backed off a bit, carefully, not too quickly. Lincoln blinked as if he was suprised and run one hand through his hair, clearly a bit confused. ‘So. Umm, you’d like to stay? We could watch a movie or something.’ he said and Daisy understood that he didn’t want to talk about their previous subject. She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she shouldn’t give him time to rest. But she could see that he really wanted to spend some time with her, so she agreed.

They bickered for fifteen minutes before they agreed on watching  _ Emma. _

Lincoln fell asleep ten minute into a movie, sharp lines on his face softening and making Daisy smile softly. 


	12. Came to you with a broken faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've a time jump here, hope you enjoy this little chapter :)

 

Daisy was in her eighth month and everything was going just as it should. She was feeling good and the boys were okay- that was the most important. She already had all children stuff bought, so her room was filled with stuffed animals and dozens of adorable tiny clothes and all needed children accessories. The only thing that was missing was a crib, because she still hadn't made her decision about moving in with Lincoln after birth of their sons.

They were a good team now, Daisy and Lincoln. He took her words to his heart and wasn't taking as much shifts as before and he didn't look so exhausted anymore. He would go with her to every doctor appointment and she sometimes brought him lunch to work. It was good, to be able to rely on him so much. They were looking out for each other, because they were family now. Daisy didn't know much about family, but she was learning and he was a pretty good teacher.

'Easy, boys.' she laughed and put hand on her stomach, feeling her sons kicking vigorously. She could already tell that taking care of them would be a challenge, she would probably need a second pair of hands and new set of eyes to keep everything under control.

Daisy settled down on a sofa and opened her notebook, hoping to have some work done, but then her phone rang, breaking calm silence of that late morning.

'Hi Hunter.' she answered, a bit distracted by a file she just opened 'What's up?'

'Daisy, are you home?' he asked and something in his voice made Daisy look away from the screen in front of her.

'Yeah.' she answered, suddenly feeling cold 'What's happening?'

'Is there anyone with you?' Hunter asked, his voice urgent, and Daisy felt her pulse quickening.

'No. Hunter, me what's going on?'

He sighed, as if he didn't want to tell her at all.

'Ward's here.'

Daisy felt cold, as if she stepped into a snowstorm. She had almost let herself forget about him, but there he was, coming into her life again, making her feel small and afraid.

'Daisy? Are you there?' Hunter's voice was muffled in her ears, so she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She put one hand on her stomach in protecting gesture, feeling a little bit sick.

'Tell me everything.'

'One of our contacts gave us information about his location, but when we got there he was already gone.'

For a moment Daisy was afraid she would pass out, her head spinning, her breathing now shallow. It felt like a nightmare, haunting her mercilessly.

'We're looking for him, he's on interpol list. I talked with my boss, you'll get protection.'

 Daisy had million questions, scream building up in her throat, but she couldn't articulate anything, feeling as if she was falling into dark hole.

'Daisy, I'll be there in two hours? Call someone so you're not alone, okay?'

'Do you think I'm in danger?' she asked, her voice strangled. She knew the answer, she knew it very well, but she was still hoping that Hunter would say that everything would be okay.

His silence was very telling answer.

'I'll be at your place soon, just hold on, okay? Everything will be fine.'

She ended the call and for a moment it all felt surreal. The room was still filled with sun, tea in her mug was still hot, and just a moment earlier everything had been so perfect. And now she was frightened, that cold feeling setting deep in her bones. With shaky fingers she dialed Lincoln's number, but she was sent to the voicemail. Tears filling her eyes, she tried calling Jemma, but it ended the same way. She tried to breathe, but she was close to hyperventilating, her heart beating so fast it was almost painful. On the edge of breaking down, she pressed the next number, praying that he would answer.

He did, after two rings.

'Hey Daisy, what's up?'

'Fitz.' she sobbed, gripping the phone so hard she could break it 'Please, come. Please.'

She couldn't speak, she could only breathe and hope he would come.

Luckily, Fitz didn't ask any question.

'I'll be there in twenty. Just hold on, okay? Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?'

'No, just hurry.' she pleaded and ended the call, desperately trying to calm herself down. High blood pressure was bad for the babies.

Daisy stayed like that, curled on the sofa, her face hidden in her hands. She was sitting like that till she heard knocking to the door. She got up with difficulty and went to the door on shaky legs.

'Daisy, what's happening?' Fitz asked the moment he saw her 'What's wrong?'

And in that moment she broke up, overwhelmed by fear and by relief that he was there in front of her. So she fell into his arms, tears falling down her face.

'Hey, hey.' he gently put his hands around her and led her back to the living room and helping her sit down on the sofa 'Daisy, what's happening?'

'He's here.' she sobbed on his shoulder 'Ward's here.'

Fitz didn't know everything, but he knew enough to understand what it meant.

'Fuck.' Fitz muttered under his breath 'Does the police know?'

'I asked Hunter for help when I heard he escaped.' Daisy explained, her voice shaking with tears 'And he just called... he said that I'll get police protection, but I'm so scared.'

'It's gonna be okay, Daisy.' Fitz said firmly 'They'll catch him.'

Daisy didn't answer; she closed her eyes, hiding her face in Fitz's shirt and trying to pretend that she was safe.

 

Hunter came two hours later, with two more police officers. One of them appeared to be a commandant, who talked with Daisy about that whole situation. He asked her a bunch of questions which she answered with difficulty, but Fitz was with her all the time, comforting her with his presence and words.

The other policeman- average looking man in his forties named John Williams, was one of her 'bodyguards'. He said he would be waiting in the car outside the building all the time, switching with his partner. He gave Daisy his number so she could give him heads up anytime she would like to go out somewhere, so he could be prepared to go with her.

Daisy was barely speaking, nodding to everything he was saying, still too shaken to think clearly.

'We'll catch him, I promise.' Hunter said, putting his hand on her shoulder 'Our whole department's working on that case. Do you need anything?'

'No, I'm fine.' she answered; it was an obvious lie, but nobody commented on it.

Soon the police left and it was again just Daisy and Fitz, who forced her to eat something and prepared her another tea.

'Any idea when Jemma's coming back?' he asked and she shook her head. She felt exhausted, but she was sure she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon.

'I'll stay with you as long as you need.' Fitz said and Daisy felt so grateful she almost cried again.

'Thank you.' she said 'Thank you so much.'

'Of course.' he smiled.

They spent the evening watching tv and trying to pretend that everything was okay. Daisy still felt shaken and frightened, but she was grateful that he tried to make it easier to her.

She didn't know when she fall sleep.

 

When she woke up it took her a moment to remember.

She sat up with a chocked gasp, fear blocking her throat. She looked around and saw that tv was turned off and she felt even more panicked for a second, but then she heard two quiet voices coming from the kitchen. She got up with difficulty and slowly went there, her head heavy.

There, around the kitchen table, sat Fitz and Lincoln, wearing serious expression on their faces. When Lincoln saw her it all melted into a mix of softness and concern. He immediately stood up, making his way to her and putting his arms around her, pulling her closely.

'We're gonna be okay.' he whispered into her ear and then, despite everything she knew and she felt, she believed him. She believed him, because she trusted him, and she believed him because she wanted to.

They would be okay.

 

 


	13. so consumed by all this hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm, I don't know if anyone still reads this story to be honest, with my awful disappearing :( I haven't watched AOS in ages (I kinda couldn't get back after death of you know who) and I kinda lost a bit of heart to this story. BUT. I'm trying really hard to push through that block, because these characters deserve a happier ending, so I will really try to finish this one and update more often!

 

Daisy couldn’t sleep.

She would toss in her bed all night, turning from side to side, unable to put her mind to rest. Everytime she closed her eyes there was Grant Ward, grinning at her with that cruel smile of his. She knew that she was safe, with all the security that police was providing her, but she still got chocked up with fear, that sickening feeling building up inside her and not letting go. 

It was so hard to believe that she had loved him, once.

Both Jemma and Licoln had suggested taking some sleeping pills, which supposed to be totally safe for her babies, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t like the idea of being asleep without her control for who knows how long. She knew that it was irrational and her lack of sleep wasn’t good for her sons, but she just couldn’t.

Maybe she was too afraid of what could happen when she was asleep. 

Despite all of that, Daisy couldn’t be more grateful for the support that her friends were showing her. Jemma, Hunter, Fitz and Bobbi- they all would make sure that she wasn’t all by herself, keeping her copmany and giving her reassuring smiles. Daisy was grateful that they weren’t bringing Ward up tough, trying to act like everything was normal.

And of course, there was Lincoln.

Sometimes Daisy honestly thought she didn’t deserve him. Someone elese probably would run away from all that mess. But now? She almost couldn’t remember how her life had looked without him in it. 

She tossed in her bed, tears of frustration and exhaustion gathering in the corner of her eyes. She just wanted to rest. Dizzy and tired, she get off her bed and went to Jemma’s room. Her friend was sitting in her bed, reading a book.

‘Daisy? Are you okay?’ she asked with concern and Daisy just shook her head.

‘Can I sleep here? I can’t... I don’t think I can be alone now.’ she said tiredly.

‘Of course!’ 

A moment later Daisy was safely tucked under a blanket, and somehow she felt safer there that in her room. Maybe it was Jemma’s presence that made her feel better, but after a few minutes she felt her eyes closing.

She fell asleep.

Her head was feeling heavy when she woke up, so she knew that he had been sleeping for a long time. She blinked, confused, and noticed that Jemma wasn’t there. She probably was at work already. Daisy got up from the bed slowly and paced to the kitchen, hungry beyond belief. To her surprise she saw Bobbi there, reading a book by a kitchen table.

‘Hi. What are you doing here?’

‘Good morning! Or not so morning anymore.’ Bobbi chuckled ‘Jemma figured you shouldn’t be alone so she gave me a call. I’ve met your bodyguard downstairs, he’s pretty charming.’ she stood up and went to a fridge ‘You want an omelette?’

‘Sure.’ Daisy was feeling a bit dizzy, so she sat down and watched Bobbi preparing her food.

She was grateful for that, for all the love and support. She couldn’t do that without them. 

Daisy ate her breakfast and spent the rest of the day watching tv and just hanging out. Daisy somehow stayed calm, long sleep doing wonders. Jemma came back around five, bags of grocieries in in her hands.

‘Hey! Went shopping so we can prepare dinner.’ she said with a smile ‘Daisy, Lincoln texted you that he couldn’t come today, yes?’

‘Yeah.’ Daisy nodded, vaguely remembering his text. It didn’t bother her, he had work and his things to do.

She missed him a bit, though. He was now a constant in her life, irreplaceable presence, and she almost didn’t remember how her life without him had looked like.

‘We can have chicken with vegetables.’ Jemma smiled ‘It’s quick and easy. Daisy?’

‘Yeah, great.’ Daisy smiled, blinking ‘Sorry, I drifted away a little.’

They all had fun in the kitchen, preparing food and dancing to the radio. Daisy almost forgot about the dagnger, hiding somewhere in the darkness of the city, waiting for her. She shook her head, trying to brush these thoughts away. She had protection, she would be fine.

‘I’ll take something for agent Williams.’ she said when they finished eating and there was still plenty of food left.

‘Oh, I can do it.’ Bobbi offered but Daisy shook her head.

‘He’s right in front of the building. And I could use a walk downstairs, I’m hiding in her all the time.’

Bobbi looked at Jemma and she shrugged.

‘Okay, just be back.’

‘Of course.’ she quickly prepared a package and grabbed her jacket. She couldn’t move quickly, her body so heavy and slow now, her back killing her pretty often, but she knew she should move. 

‘Will be back in a sec.’ she smiled and grabbed the package. She was happy that she could do something for that nice quiet man, who was spending long hours at making sure that she was safe.

It was nice, to breathe fresh air, to be surrounded by a familiar noise of the street for a moment. 

She quickly spotted a familiar car, a few metres away, and she smiled to herself. She hoped that Williams would like that small surprise.

But then she felt something cold pressing to her spine, and hear heart stopped beating. And then she hear a quiet whisper that made her shiver.

‘Don’t move, my love.’ 

Daisy couldn’t breathe.

‘Your friends is sleeping right now, so he won’t take that.’ Grant chuckled right next to her ear ‘And don’t think about screaming, I really don’t want to hurt you.’ 

Daisy wasn’t able to speak, so she just nodded stiffly. She couldn’t even think, her mind and body frozen. It didn’t feel real, cold metal pressing to the small of her back, Grant’s breath tickling her neck.

She prayed that it was just another nightmare, but then he spoke again, shattering her hopes:

‘You see that grey car on your left? Get inside.’

Daisy did what he told her, her fingers trembing when she was fumbling with a seat belt. 

They would come for her, right? Lance, Jemma, Lincoln and the others- they would find out what happened and save her. She had to believe that.

Grant started the engine and just like that he took her away, unnoticed, driving through the grey city. 

‘It took me some time to find you.’ he smiled at her, his grin predatory ‘Why did you hide so far from me?’

Daisy was unable to answer him, closing her eyes and swallowing the sob rising in her throat.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll take about it later.’ he promised, his hand touching her knee and she flinched visibly, his touch feeling wrong and awful.

He took her to the part of the city she hadn’t been in before; he grabbed her elbow firmly and led her to an icky building that looked as if it wasn’t occupied by a lot of people. They endered an appartment that looked suprosingly clean, but very raw, with only a few pieces of furniture. Daisy considered screaming for help for a moment, but she gave that idea up immediately. She didn’t even know if there was anyone around, but she was sure that Grant wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.

He forced her to sit on a couch and stood in front of her, his hand caressing her cheek with a sick smile. 

‘I’ve missed you, Skye.’ he mumbled and she flinched at both his touch and the sound of her old name.

But hearing it from his lips suddenly did something to her and she was finally able to shake off that awful numbness she was feeling.

‘It’s not my name.’ she said and his eyes widened ‘Not anymore.’

‘Of course.’ he sighed, his hand retreating as he sat down in front of her ‘How do you like to call yourself now? Daisy, right?’

She nodded.

‘I think I liked Skye better.’ he grinned at her and she felt sick ‘Because Daisy tried to run away from me. But she should know better than that. I told her I would always find her.’

Daisy swallowed hard over her dry throat, promising herself that she wouldn’t cry. 

‘I can forgive you for running away.’ he said, his eyes glistening ‘I know it was a shock for you, getting shot.’ he added and Daisy’s hand traveled to rest on her stomach. She felt one of her sons kicking and suddenly she felt utterly, completely terrified ‘But I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.’ he said, his voice dangerously low, and Daisy shivered.

‘Please, don’t hurt me.’ she said, her voice quiet and her hands trembling ‘Please.’

He looked at her with intensity in his dark eyes and after a moment he smiled again.

‘Who’s the father?’ Grant asked and Daisy closed her eyes for a second ‘Do you love him?’

‘No, no.’ she rushed; she knew that he would get furious if she hesitated. 

And she didn’t love Lincoln, not like that. Right?

She couldn’t think about it right now.

‘Good.’ Grant’s smile grew wider ‘I still don’t like the fact that he’s still alive though.’ he added and Daisy’s heart stopped for a second ‘I guess I’ll have to take care about that.’

She almost screamed, but then Grant’s phone rang and he sighed. 

‘I need to go now, but we’ll continue our conversation. Patrick!’ he exlaimed and a moment later there was another man in the room, with a dark expression and gun on his hip ‘Take care of her while I’m gone.’ 

He touched Daisy’s cheek once again and then he was gone. Daisy looked at the man he called Patrick, his face blank and unmoved, and she swallowed a sob.

She had to be strong.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Love you all :)


End file.
